Shattered Dreams
by Meri015
Summary: Adrianna is a Shinma, a half-god, half-demon creature. She comes to Hogwarts to learn of her past and to seek revenge against those who have wronged her. With the help of the trio, can she get back her tampered memories?
1. Chapter One

**Shattered Dreams (1/?)**

**Author: Meri**

**Email: Kagome014@yahoo.com**

**Category: Romance, action, mystery, **

**Keywords: Trio, Draco, Ginny, Original character**

**Spoilers: All books**

**Rating: PG-13 (the opening is rather graphic)**

**Summary: Adrianna finds herself in a world unknown to her, and a life that is not her own. Missing for the past ten years, she reappears with no recollection of who she is or where she was. Sent to Hogwarts in hopes of forging a life for herself, she sets out to find who she is through the help of Harry Potter. Drawn into the web of lies and illusions, Adri must find out what exactly is going on. With a mysterious someone stalking her and new unexplained events, Adri must find her memories before the guilt and fear consume her.**

**Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. Also Kyuketski Miyu characters are the property of their corresponding owners/designers.**

**A/N: Half this story belongs to Janina, my very first beta reader, plot giver, and everything else in-between. And another special thanks to Samantha, fefi3, and Morgana my beta readers! Thanks for the support guys! **

**A/N (continued): It is snowing REALLY early, I know. Hogwarts is just special so it can do that.**

~*~

**"But I threw you the obvious, just to see if there's more behind the eyes of a fallen angel, eyes of a tragedy. Here I am expecting just a little bit too much from the wounded, but I see through it all and see you"   
-****A Perfect Circle****, 3 Libra's**

~*~

                        An ice-cold zephyr washed over me. I shivered as the rain pelted my flesh and sent goose bumps crawling up my arms. My nightgown was plastered to my clammy skin and did nothing to bring about even a small flame of warmth. I stood where I was, on a hill of sorts. I looked down at the countryside, shrouded in darkness and a veil of mist. A crescent moon hung in the sky, her power and light waning, causing the shadows to grow longer and more menacing. Crisp fall leaves swirled around my feet and embedded themselves in my hair. 

            I stared down at the bodies on the ground before me. Their faces were blurred, but I knew deep down, that they were important people and had been close to me. The woman's neck had been snapped, and stark white bone splinters could be seen piercing through the delicate flesh of her neck. Her face was turned to the left, and from what I could see of her eyes, they were glazed over, unseeing, even in death. Her wrists were scraps of raw flesh, where ropes must have bound her. She was covered in bruises but otherwise unscathed.

             I turned to focus my gaze on the man beside her. His body was a mass of bloody cuts, ranging from shallow to impaling. Some blunt object had been forced through his stomach and then ripped out. Shallow cuts spanned up and down his legs and arms. However, the most distinguishing injury was where someone had burned his skin away to reveal the bone on his left arm. A fragment of a memory told me a tattoo of a snake and scull had been situated there.

            I turned my back on their pitiful corpses and began to walk away from the cursed place. The wind bit into my flesh and tried to force me back to the site. I stood stooped over, but slowly made some head way. The cold was seeping into my soul and it was getting harder and harder to lift my feet. In a state of utter exhaustion and hypothermia I sank to the ground. The mud sucked at my legs and dress trying to pull me into his sweet embrace. I sat staring out into the void hearing the seductive whispers of my Other trying to convince me to run away with her to Hayll. Slowly, I saw her wink into existence, but her transparent form could do little to help keep me warm. I saw the landscape through her as she drew nearer to me.

            "Save yourself, go to the land of the Muggles. There, and only there, will you find answers you so desperately seek young one." her voice sounded like the baying of hounds and the crash of the waves in the sea. She ran a comforting hand down the side of my face. I stared up at her silvery form as she began to return to her true form of air and Essence that made her. She dissolved and I was once again left all alone.

            "Alone," I whispered. I started to shake with inward terror. I covered my traitorous ears to block out their voices. I began to jerk and convulse as the tendrils of terror imbedded themselves into my Self and I started to scream uncontrollably.

            "Wake up!" I heard a voice shout in my ear, drawing me back from the world of dreams, of remembrance. I opened my eyes to find the taunt face of Ms. Kleever staring down at me, her intense brown eyes filled with annoyance and worry. "What is wrong with you child? I won't have any of your fits at one o'clock in the morning!" She leaned away from me and sulked back to her bed across the room, nestled in the corner nearest to the door.

            "I had a nightmare, sorry to bother you." I answered sheepishly with my eyes downcast. She snorted at me, drew the covers back over her lean form and turned away from me to face the wall. I breathed a sigh of relief. I was glad she had brought my Self back from my dream. Dreaming was not good, because I had no idea what they meant; if they were just that, dreams, or worse if they were memories. I shivered and drew the covers around my skinny form. Sitting up in the bed, I took out my diary and began to read over the events of the last week. I believed that if perhaps I read them enough, I was certain I could catch something that I had missed previously, some clue to unravel my mystery.

August Twenty-fifth 2001

Dear Diary,

            I woke up today to find myself in a hospital surrounded by doctors and wizards. With some inborn sense I could tell what they were. Weird, huh? I was later informed that I had been missing for ten years! They wanted to know where I had been. I truthfully didn't know anything, not even my name. I still don't. I was questioned by being put under magical stasis so they could question my sub-consciousness. Still nothing. I know nothing, remember nothing. So they locked me up here in this hospital until they can uncover the mystery. If I don't know, how will they? 

August Twenty-Sixth

Dear Diary,

            This past week I've been absorbing information at an incredible rate, the doctors claim. I've already mastered magic that only fifth year students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry can perform. It takes them five years of training, it took me a week. I'm making them nervous too. Not knowing my name, but being able to do complicated magic is putting them on edge. It scares me a bit too. 

            I was looking at a newspaper today and I found a picture of a cute boy. He looks intelligent and he defeated the Dark Lord, a.k.a. You-Know-Who. It's so interesting to learn that you've spent ten years somewhere away from society to find your self re-submerged in it without a clue of what has been happening. The head doctor says if I'm lucky I'll be meeting this kid soon if I keep learning and cooperating with their experiments. The look of savage greed in his eyes tells me another story. I don't trust him. I have to escape from this institute, soon, I fear, it will be too late, and I will be too entangled in their web of treachery and deceit to escape.

            I closed my diary with a dull thud. 'Maybe this boy will have the answers I'm searching for.' I gazed down at a picture of the young man with night-black, unruly, hair. He had the most beautiful eyes I had ever seen, so piercing and inquisitive. I stared down at the picture one last time and stuffed it into my pocket. 'I'm coming for you Harry Potter.'

            "Miss, they're ready to see you." the nurse proclaimed in too cheery a voice. It was 7:00 in the morning, and I had once again dreamt that night. Dreamt of blood and despair, playing itself over and over in my head, their deaths. I closed my eyes, and there, imprinted on my closed lids I witnessed it again. I snapped my eyes open at the sound of the nurse opening the door for me. I nodded curtly to her and entered the room.

            There, standing before me was a man emitting a strange and highly powerful aura. I involuntarily stepped back from him towards the door, trying to escape from his presence. He had a long, silky, silver beard that reached to the floor and above his beard were the most striking sapphire eyes. His eyes seemed to stare at me and read the secrets of my soul. I shivered and wrapped my robe tighter around my body.

            "My name is Albus Dumbledore, and you must be…"he trailed off, realizing too late that I had no name. "Come," he waved an inviting hand to a chair by his before a great oak desk that monopolized the tiny office. With all my senses tuned to his every move, I edged into the chair. As soon as I sat down, the spell was broken, and he no longer seemed a threat to me. I sagged into the chair, annoyed at the prospect of yet another lecture. I sighed and waited for the head doctor behind the desk to speak. He sat there, his fingers steepled staring at me intently.

            "Do I have something on my face?" I asked with feigned ignorance and sweetness lacing my voice. The doctor sputtered for a second then regained control of himself.

            "Miss, we are here to discuss your future." he began.

            "What future? I don't want another one of your lectures on how I should be a good girl, and stop playing around and lying about my past." I interrupted him bluntly. Again, he sputtered, waves of fear came wafting over to my delicate nose. I smiled at him making the smell intensify.

            "Be quiet Miss." he warned me through clenched teeth. Dumbledore turned to address me now.

            "I'm not intimidated by you. Now, speak civil while he explains to you what is going on." I closed my mouth and squirmed in my chair, I hated being looked down on with a vengeance.

            "Miss, Dumbledore here for some reason beyond my knowledge, wants to enroll you in his school. It is called Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." he paused for dramatic affect. I felt myself pale at the mention of the school. 'That's the school where Harry Potter goes. This could be my chance!' I thought to myself. He continued, "There you will be put in the fifth year group. I know that you know more advanced magic than that, but we think that it would be wise to learn this way. Slowly, rather than how you have been learning." I was about to mention that there was nothing wrong with learning five years worth of magic in a week, but bit back the reply, not wanting to spoil my chances. I nodded my head, showing my understanding of the subject.

            "Would you like to live and study at Hogwarts?" Dumbledore questioned me with a hopeful, open face.

            "I'd love to." I answered, smiling. 'Yes! This is going perfectly!' "When do I leave?"

            "Not so fast!" the doctor ordered in a hurry. "We still have to run some more tests and," I drowned him out and starred at the picture of a snowman on the wall. I hated their 'tests', they were more like 'lets see who can break into her brain first' contests. I hated the sense of probing in my brain, it hurt and just made me want to break loose and strangle them all. It was at those times that I felt like something was eating me alive from within and wanted to erupt from me. Strange, alien, emotions coursed through my veins and demanded that I let them surface. I was finding it harder and harder to try and rein in these emotions. I was afraid of what would happen if I let them loose, what damage would I cause?

            "Miss? Are you listening?" Dumbledore asked leaning close to me peering into my face.

            "Ah, yeah, sure, I'm fine." I answered him, my eyes still glued to the picture of the snowman. He whispered some foreign sounding words that I did not recognize and I felt my Self released. I recoiled away from the picture. Without thinking I pointed a finger at the picture. "Daemon irretio everto." A burst of flame jumped from the tip of my finger to settle on the painting. It consumed it and the ashes fell to the floor in a matter of seconds. I smiled triumphantly and turned back to face them. The doctor was once again sputtering, but Dumbledore looked almost, could it be? Amused?!

            "What's so funny?" I demanded, furious at his laughter.

"Well, you destroyed a demon trapping spell imbedded in that picture. They're usually used to trap demons.  Funny how it seemed to have some affect on you." He smiled a secretive smile at me. I bristled, but remembered that I needed to get into his school so I had better behave. The alien blood pumped in my veins again. I felt it like fire coursing through my veins heading towards my heart from my toes.

            "Oh, before you leave, Miss, a word please." I walked tentatively over to stand beside him. "You'll need a name if you are to enlist in Hogwarts. Would you allow me to call you Adrianna? It was your mother's personal favorite." I stared at him in horror. 'How could he possibly know that?!' Dumbledore must have noticed because he then spoke to the doctor saying that they would discuss the specifics at a later date. "I shall see you at dinner where we can go over the specifics, okay, Adrianna?

            "Okay, nice meeting you Professor Dumbledore." I gave a slight nod and exited the room at a run. I clenched my robe tightly closed around my neck, as I tore down the hallway to the safety of my room.

            "She has great potential, even though she is a Shinma." commented Dumbledore.

            "I agree. I'd like to get her as far away from here as possible and trained. That way I don't have to worry that I'll wake up with a full-fledged demon on a rampage in here." The doctor said, and shivered.

            "She doesn't even know her name, so I wouldn't worry about her turning into a Shinma any time soon.  Besides, she is not a demon. Shinma are different, they are of God and Demon, and they live in the darkness. Not in Hell, like where the type of demon you describe lives. You just need to sign some papers releasing her into our custody, and you can sleep rest assured that she will not be causing trouble here." Dumbledore said.

            "I don't see the difference, Shinma, demon they're all the same. I just want her out of here!  I don't care what you do, just get her out!" the doctor began to yell as he lost his temper.  Dumbledore quickly left his office leaving him alone with his thoughts. 'How will we control her if she does turn into a Shinma?'  Possible situations raced through his head, everything that could go wrong. He shook his head to clear it. He would take care of her; he owed her parents that much.  The least he could do was get her out of this place, and where she belonged, with other teens her age.  A long difficult, un-walked road lay before her, filled with potholes, pits and other dangers. 'She'll make it if I have any say in it!' He swore to himself.

At Platform Nine and Three Quarters:

            I stood on platform nine and three quarters and stared at the train that would take me away to Hogwarts.

            "Now, do you remember all we told you? All your possessions and supplies that we bought for you, will be awaiting you there. A proper wand will be bought for you at a later date. Now, keep out of trouble!" the Doctor gave me a shove towards the train. I

smirked. If it weren't for the fact that he'd get into a lot of trouble with the Ministry, he would have dumped me there all alone. Take that back, he'd probably kill me given the chance. I smelled the intense fear on him. 'Now' I thought, 'for a little fun.' I turned around slowly growling deep in my throat. I looked up into his face when I had fully turned around; he was as white as paper and sweating profusely. I burst out laughing. People turned to stare at us.

"See ya later, Doc. Hope the demons I released in your room don't decide to visit you tonight." With another smirk, I strode away leaving him there. I walked over to the car at the very end of the train. I slid the door open and entered the car. The compartment was comfortable and homely. 'Homely, what am I thinking? I have no home, so how could I call anything homely?!' I sat down in a corner seat and put my tiny travel case down beside me. I unzipped the bag, and drew out my cloak. Wrapping it around me, and sank into the soft cushions, trying to futilely catch a little sleep. However, it was not to be, for no sooner had I put my head down, the compartment door opened. My head snapped up as four teens entered. They stopped in their tracks when they saw me there.

"I'm sorry, is this your compartment? I'll leave, its okay." I sat up and began to gather my luggage.

"No, no that's alright." I looked up into the face of a boy with long, unruly black hair. Behind his glasses were the most intriguing green eyes. And there on his forehead was a lightning-bolt shaped scar. 'It's Harry Potter!' My inner voice screamed in relief. Harry bent down and took my bag from my hands and placed it on the seat beside me.

"Are you new at Hogwarts? I've never seen you before." A redheaded boy questioned next. He had the most vivid red hair I had ever seen. 'I haven't seen people in

ten years they tell me, so of course everyone looks new and different.' Freckles adorned his forehead and across the bridge of his nose. They looked strangely right there, however.

"How can you ask such a stupid question, Ron? She's too old to be a first year." A girl who must have been Ron's sister said with annoyance. She had long, wavy red hair and freckles, just like her older brother.

"Well, I've never seen her before!" Ron protested.

"Excuse me, but what year are you going into now?" A girl whose bushy brown hair was straining  to escape the ties that held it back.

"I'm going into fifth year." I answered her.

"Then why haven't we seen you before?" Ron interrogated.

"Leave her alone Ron. My name's Ginny Weasley. And this is my brother Ron, that's Hermione, and that's Harry." She pointed to them all in turn. "And your name would be?"

 I turned my head away. 'Why does everyone have to have a name except me?

 I heard them whisper behind me.  "Did I say something wrong?' inquired Ginny.

"I don't think so, you just asked for her name." Ron said.

"Wait, I got it!" Hermione interjected. I turned around to look at her. "You're that girl that they just found that has been missing for ten years, and no one knows where she was. She doesn't remember anything, not even her own name! I wondered why you looked so familiar to me!" she drew out of her pocket a picture, a picture of me. They stared at the picture than back at me.

"You are her, aren't you?" Ron replied in awe.

"Yes," I whispered. "Professor Dumbledore has named me Adrianna, so I guess you can say that's my name now." I hung my head in shame.  Someone came over and put their arms around my shoulders.

"It's all right, there's nothing to be ashamed about." Ginny told me with ease. I looked into her eyes; they held no secret meanings underlying her kind words. I smiled tentatively.

"The train will be leaving soon; I wonder where Fred and George are. Have you seen them Harry?" Ron asked in a worried tone of voice. Harry shook his head no.  They all proceeded to store their luggage away in the overhead compartments and then sat down. Ginny sat down next to me and gave me a warm, comforting smile.  I couldn't help but smile back.

"So you're going into fifth year Adrianna?" a pause, "Hello? Your name is Adrianna right?" I gave a start.

"Oh, er, yes it is. Sorry, I'm not used to it yet. But yes, I am going into fifth year. Also, you might as well call me Adri, 'cause it's shorter then Adrianna.  Are all of you going into 5th too?" I inquired.

"No, Ginny is going into fourth year, while the rest of us will be with you, in fifth year." Ron replied.  "So, have they taken you to a quidditch match yet?"

"No. I didn't think to ask. Besides, the doctors at the institution were more interested in dissecting me than thinking about what I wanted." I looked at their shocked faces, and smiled inwardly.

"They tried to dissect you?" Ginny asked in a hushed voice.

"Well not literally, of course!" Looks of relief were mirrored on all of their faces. I continued in an even voice, "But, they did make me take lots of annoying tests."

"How is it that you are going into fifth year when you have been missing ten years? How could you learn enough to be put into fifth year?" Hermione asked in a

quiet voice. I squirmed in my seat, but my need to explain myself won out.

"I was taught enough magic to put me in fifth year. I learned it in a week; does that answer your question, Hermione?"

"That's impossible! No one could learn that much magic that requires five years of training to master, in just a week! It's simply not physically possible!" Hermione exclaimed in her 'know it all' voice.

"Being missing for ten years and reappearing isn't physically possible either." I reminded her. She closed her mouth, looking a little embarrassed, and leaned back into the seat deep in thought. Suddenly the door crashed open.

"Quick close the door Harry!" Harry raced out of his seat and slid the door that connected the compartments together closed.

"The train is about to leave and you finally show up!" Ron fixed them both with exasperated stares. They were twins and looked exactly like Ron and Ginny. 'So they must be their brothers.' I thought idly.

"Sorry, we were just giving out some presents." One of the Weasely twins smiled evilly. The other elaborated, "We might have slipped some presents into Malfoys' luggage and he might have eaten some of them…"

"What happened Fred?' Ginny inquired excitedly. The others chorused as well.

"He took a bite and it turned his hair pink." Fred answered with a smirk. They all burst out laughing as if it were the funniest thing in the world. I stared blankly at them. Ginny must have noticed because she staggered over to me.

"Draco Malfoy's family is our enemy. They hate Harry and Hermione, and people they call Mudbloods.  Mudbloods are witches and wizards whose parents weren't witches or wizards. He's an over all dislikable person in our opinion."

"He'll probably be coming to seek revenge soon so, everyone get out your wands." One of the twins ordered. "Hey, Ron, who's this? Did you finally pick up a girlfriend?" he teased. Ron's whole face turned tomato red, even his ears changed color.

"No, George, she's new to Hogwarts." Ron finally was able to squeak. George strode over to my seat.

"My name's George, and take it from me, don't hang out with my brother if you know what's good for you. He never wants to have fun. While I on the other hand,"

"George!" Ron protested. George put up his hands, laughing. 

"Okay, I'll stay away from your girlfriend Ron; you don't have to get defensive."

"George, knock it off you're embarrassing her; you git!" Ginny began; it was at that moment that the door opened and let in a very angry guy with pink hair flanked by two very tall, menacing bodyguards.

"Nice hair Malfoy. But, I really don't think pink is your color." Harry catcalled. Malfoy growled.

"You'll regret that Potter." he sneered. I watched in amazement. This boy was different from the rest, he seemed to emit a chill aura, cold and menacing. His hair was silver-blond under the pink. The dye colored the top layer of his hair but the under side was still visibly blond. It was long and the bangs hung in his eyes. It looked as if it were almost spun of spider silk. To all appearances he looked like the perfect guy, but soon as he spoke your first conception was shattered like glass. I realized this as I watched the scene unfold.

"Malfoy, I'll have you know, I disagree with Harry. I think pink is the perfect hair color for you and aren't I lucky because I'll have four months to enjoy it." Fred taunted. Malfoy rounded on him.  An almost invisible signal passed between the two bodyguards and Malfoy. They suddenly attacked the twins, wands drawn. Ron, Harry, Hermione and Ginny all drew theirs as well and aimed them at Malfoy. Malfoy said something and a shield appeared around him just

before the hexes aimed at him struck. They glanced off and hit the walls. I threw myself to the ground to escape getting hit.

"And who's this hiding in here with you losers?" Malfoy asked with a tone of indifference.

"What gives us any reason to tell you anything, Malfoy?" hissed Ron fixing Draco with a baleful glare.  I saw a pair of black, polished boots enter my limited field of vision from my position on the floor. I looked up, and there before me was Draco Malfoy. He stared down at me.

"What's your name?" he asked in any icy dangerous voice.

"Don't answer him." Hermione said tersely. I stared at her. She had seemed so nice and care free, but now…I stood up to my full height of 5' 4".

"Why would you want to know my name? You're not worthy of knowing it." I looked up at him and smirked. His eyes and face betrayed nothing. He smiled and aimed

his wand at me. I saw a powerful hex flying straight at me. Without thinking I whispered a word of Power and I drew a character in the air with my right hand.  Ice formed in the air to form the strokes needed to complete the character. I pushed it at the hex and at Draco. It sliced right through the hex in a blast of blue sparks and hit Draco square in the chest. He stared down stunned into silence, as ice crystals traveled across his chest, incasing him in ice. Everyone had stopped fighting and was watching Draco

and I.

 "What the heck was that?!" Ron was finally able to ask. Meanwhile, on Draco the ice was spreading.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to." I was finally able to utter. I walked over to him and put my hand on the place where the ice spell had hit him. The ice receded and came slowly back to its origin. I let the ice trickle back into me. Draco stared down at me. 

"Whoops, I didn't mean to do that." I re-iterated to him again. I turned away and let my hand fall from his chest.  Draco still stared at me in silence, brooding. His gaze was captious, and it made me squirm under it. Fred aimed his wand at Draco's hair and it turned back to its natural color.  Draco looked straight into my eyes a few more moments then he stormed out with his lackeys trailing behind him. The tension that was mounting in the room eased after the door was shut.

"What was that? I've never seen that before." Hermione demanded.

"That? I have no idea. The spell just popped into my head." I answered her truthfully.

"That was amazing! You have got to teach me how to do that!" demanded Ginny. I shrugged.

"Yeah, sure." Now that Draco had left I felt more comfortable and in control. "But not right now, I'm spent."

"Thanks!" Ginny exclaimed.

"We're almost there." stated Harry. They all took out their luggage and donned their school robes. I pulled out my pitch-black robe and let it hang open. We all sat down, waiting for the train to come to a complete stop.

 "That was cool, what you did to Draco, Adri. I've never seen him that scared. I've never seen him scared in the first place, come to think of it." Ron said.

"Anytime," I answered with ease. The train screeched to a stop. Fred pushed the door open and we all clambered out. A long, twisty dirt path led up to Hogwarts. I gazed at the school in shock and awe. It was so big! It looked like it had popped out of a fairytale storybook. It was in the perfect likeness of a medieval castle, turrets and all.

"Come on, we're going to be late if we don't get moving." Ginny tugged at my sleeve.

"Do you have to go with the first years to get sorted?" Hermione inquired.

"I'm not sure, actually." I said, a little nervously.

"We'll, let's go ask Hagrid." Harry decided. He took off toward a dock, where about 25 small four-person rowboats waited, letting us follow him. Letting us all follow him. 'He surely must know how to help me. He seems so confident and is a born leader. Surely, he will be the one.' We soon came upon a large man who towered over us all. His beard was long and tangled, and his clothes were rather shabby, but for his fearsome appearance he was gentle.

"'lo 'arry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Fred, George, and who might you be?" he asked gruffly, but in a cheerful tone of voice.

"This is Adrianna. We're wondering where she should go. This is her first time going here and she hasn't been sorted yet. However, she's going into fifth year with us. Does she go with the first years?" Harry asked.

"I guess she should go with these here first years to get sorted, unless Dumbledore has other plans for her."

"Well we'll see you later at the banquet then Adri."  Harry told me. With a friendly pat on the shoulder he took off towards the carriages that were waiting. They all said goodbye and followed suit, all except Ginny.

"Good luck Adri. We can still be friends no matter what house you get placed in, but do try and get yourself into Gryffindor." She took off at a run, turned and waved, then raced on catching up with the others.

"Come on, into a boat. Why don't you go with that little 'un over there who's all alone in that boat." Hagrid pointed a thick finger over at the last boat in the row. I walked over through the tall, wet grass. 'What on earth is a Gryffindor?'

"Is this boat taken?" Before he could respond I jumped in and settled myself onto the wooden seat.

"Hi, what's your name?" I asked cheerfully.

"My name is Glen. Now go away." He turned away from me and propped his chin up on his folded arms and gazed over the side of the boat.

"Why should I go away?" I answered him in a sweet as sugar voice, under laced with anger.

"Because you're a Shinma." he answered simply. That got my attention.

"What did you just call me?" I asked in an ice filled voice.

"A Shinma, a Demon God that lives in the darkness, and will return there once again. It is the fate of those born of the darkness. When will you return Adri? We all miss you there, trapped in the darkness. Why do you get to escape?" he whined. "Why did you escape while the rest of us were sealed away? Why? It's not fair!"

"I have no idea what you're talking about, boy." I stuttered.

"Hmpf. You know perfectly well that what I speak is true. We await your return Adri. Beware the wrathful Shinma, thirsty for revenge. It will be paid in blood, the price for freedom." It laughed harshly and the hair on the back of my neck stood on end. This was no ordinary boy; this boy was possessed by a demon and it was controlling him. However, I recognized the voice behind the mask. I heard him in my mind; it was his voice I heard in my dreams.

"You! Who are you! Answer me demon!" I burst out angrily. He laughed some more, and then fixed his haunted eyes on me once again.

"You know who I am. All the answers lie locked away in your mind. You just have to simply unlock the right doors." I had had enough; I pulled out a piece of paper from my inside robe pocket.

"Akruyo Taisan!" I yelled and the enchanted holy script flew at him blasting him out of the boy's body.  I saw the spirit form of the demon, before he evaporated. Something about him was so familiar, who was he?

"Kaitou, Adrianna." I stepped up to the sorting hat.  I picked it up, sat down on the stool and placed the hat delicately on my head.

"Hmm, difficult," I heard a voice murmur. "Has potential. But your thirst for revenge…Slytherin would help you achieve what you seek. You also have that touch of underlying ruthlessness. But there is also your driving need to do what is right, and to be mindful of others. That would make you unfit for Slytherin."

"I don't want to be in Slytherin, I want to be with Harry, Hermione, Ron and Ginny." I whispered.

            "But, are you brave enough Shinma?" I bristled and my hands griped the edges of the stool until my knuckles turned white.  "Yes, I'll do whatever it takes."

"Then better go with…GRYFFINDOR!" I took the hat off and placed it back on the stool. In a daze I walked over to the Gryffindor table, where the others I had met earlier were cheering for me. I sat down next to Ginny and Hermione who were cheering for me wildly.

"Come on, this is the way to the Gryffindor wing." Ginny tugged me along behind her.

"How can you be so filled with energy? I'm wiped out." Ginny just laughed at me.

"It's your first day, we all felt that way when we first came here." Hermione interjected before Ginny could answer. "Grinport," the painting swung open revealing the Gryffindor common room. "These are the stairs to the girls' dormitory," she pointed to the right. "And those are the boys. We aren't allowed in there for obvious reasons. Goodnight Harry, Ron."

"G'night Hermione, Ginny, Adri. Tomorrow is a holiday so we'll show you around Hogwarts if it's okay with you, Adri." Ron asked tentatively.

"Sure, thanks." I smiled at him.

"G'night," chorused Harry who looked even more tired than Ron. 'That won't do Harry, you need to be strong if you are to help me.' I followed Ginny and Hermione

up the girls' stairs. Hermione stopped at the second door on the right.

"This is the fifth year girl's room. Ginny's room is right across the hall. Good night, Ginny." 

"Thanks a lot for helping me out today. See you tomorrow morning." I said.  Hermione opened the door.  She stopped at the last bed in the room. "This is your new bed. All your luggage has already arrived. My bed is right next to yours if you need anything. Goodnight." Hermione said gently, giving me a warm smile.

"Thanks for everything Hermione." She nodded and went over to her bed where she grabbed her pajamas and went back down the room to the bathrooms.  I took a deep breath and opened the red curtains to my bed.  The walls were stone and right near my bed was a fireplace that was already roaring away. My meager amount of luggage was piled on top of the chest at the end of my bed.  I walked over to my nightstand and lit the candle with the flick of a finger. The light flared red then blue.  I unpacked my clothes and possessions and placed them in my bureau.  I then donned my pajamas. They were blue, unlike the clothes that were allowed to be worn under the school robes.  'I hate red, but it's not like I have a choice in colors if I'm in Gryffindor.' I rolled my sheets back and hopped into bed.  I let the candle burn out as I slept, for once feeling like I belonged.

I dreamt.

Their bodies were there still atop the hill. I turned away from them and raced down the hill, my long black hair trailing behind me. The kimono I was wearing was restricting my running, but I dared not shed the garment. It was black; the color of mourning. It matched my soul.

"Why must they be dead?" I asked the wind. 

"You caused their deaths." I whipped around at the sound of that voice.

"You again. Just leave me alone! Go haunt someone else!" I screamed at the creature. It laughed, sounding like dry leaves.

"No dear sister, I'll be staking up a permanent residence here in your dream world. Besides, who else would be better for the position then your own dear

older brother?"

"You aren't my brother." He feigned hurt, but dropped the act when it did not raise any reaction from me.

"You're heartless you know that? Well, it's true that you caused their deaths, sister."

"I did no such thing, for I did not kill them. But, you must know who did."

"Indeed I do. But what will you do with that information if I tell you?"

"Kill them," I said simply. He snickered.

"Here's your first clue; the snake with a heart of ice knows where the ancient secret is buried.  He alone holds the key to this mystery. But can you find him in time sister? The clock is ticking, time is against you." He then started to sing, "When will you pay the price for freedom?  When will she come knocking at your door seeking payment in blood?  When will you return to us O sister, when will we see your true face? We shall see it before us in the land of ever dark. When will the sacred flame consume all?  When, O sister, shall you return to me?" his voice soothed me despite its raspy tone.

"I know that song!" I exclaimed in excitement. He smiled. "Why can't you show your true self creature?  You sing of me showing mine, but when will you show your own true self?" 

"As soon as you show yours, I shall reveal to you my own." He smiled a secret smile then, and began to fade into the scenery. I shook my head smiling. I took off walking again.

"The clock is ticking time is against you. When will the price of freedom be paid? When will she come knocking at the door seeking payment in blood?  When shall I return to you, O brother, when will I see your true face? We shall meet again in the land of ever dark. When will the sacred flame consume all? When, O brother, shall I return to thee?" I sang quietly.

I sat up straight in bed casting the covers aside.  I scanned the room for the noise I had just heard.  There, on my beside table was a sealed white envelope. (No, it does NOT contain anthrax ^.~) I tore it open and opened the folded piece of paper. It said:

_Adrianna:_

_I know what you are._

I starred down at the letter. 'Who could have known?  Who possibly could know about me being able to do magic without the aid of a wand? No matter what they think, or what that guy who calls himself my brother tells me, I'm not a Shinma! I'm a normal witch who was just lost for a few years and can't remember anything!'  My other side whispered that that was not so, leaking poison into my mind. I shook my head to clear it.

 "I'll figure out what to do tomorrow morning, until then I plan on getting some sleep!

I sat up straight in bed drenched in sweat. "I must have had another nightmare. Strange, I can't remember what it was about." I said deep in thought. I tore the covers off me to let the chill morning air cool me down. I got up and stripped my sweat stained pajamas off and donned tight Kaki jeans along with a green, long-sleeved shirt trimmed in silver.  I tugged on my knee-high black leather boots and clipped silver hoops into my ears. I stared at myself in the mirror above my nightstand.  My dark hazel eyes stared back at me, looking haunted.  I was too pale for my liking and the dark colors of my

clothes contrasted with my fair skin.  I brushed my long, black hair into some semblance of order. I glanced at my watch; it was five in the morning. I had two and a half long, agonizing hours to sit and wait for the bell to ring to signal the start of the day.

"What to do in that time is now the questions at hand."

"Why don't you study dearie?" asked a voice in the mirror. "You look like you could use something to do."  I stared; the mirror on the wall was talking to me!

"Um, yeah, sure. What do you suggest I study?" I asked it.

"Why don't you study about demons?" I froze.  'Why was everyone asking me about demons and Shinma?' I pointed a finger at the mirror. 

"Glacio!" A thin sheet of ice covered the mirror blocking the voice from conversing, and therefore commenting. I looked around to make sure no one had woken up.  None the less, even though I didn't like the mirror very much, my interest was peaked.  I opened my trunk and drew out my Defense against the Dark Arts textbook. I opened to the table of contents there, on page 560, Demons and other creatures from the dark.  I skimmed the book searching for page 560. I stopped, and read:

"Demons are the deepest evil given a form of flesh.  They live and thrive in the darkness.  Their main home is in Hell, but the occasional demon will leave and come into the mortal realms.  They are destructive by nature and will do anything to achieve their ends, no matter the means.  Depending on the level of the demon, a simple demon banishing spell can be performed in most cases." I skimmed the page.

"Little is known about the mysterious beings dubbed Shinma.  All that is known is that they live off of humans, and lead their souls to ruin.  They live in the darkness between day and night. Shinma are not very common and over the centuries have decreased in number due to regulation polices. All Shinma were banished from this realm and forbidden to return, but that doesn't seem to stop the few from traveling here and spreading." I gave a sigh of exasperation. "I need useful information, not a history lesson."

"Here!" I pointed at the second to last paragraph.

"It has been heard of that Shinma have bred with Muggles, even wizards. Shinma blood is very powerful and will only remain dormant until the offspring enters puberty.  Then they will experience changes in appearance, emotions and powers. Shinma only look like normal people by hiding their true face behind a façade. The offspring will be able to perform certain spells without the aid of a wand.  However their power is limited to their type.  The basic types are fire, water, wind, earth, and electricity." I closed the book with an abrupt thump. 

"So that's how it is. Maybe that creature that possessed the kid was right, maybe

I am a Shinma." I fell silent as I heard a loud knock on my door.  I got up from my seat on the bed and strode over to the door. I opened it wide to reveal the form of Ginny.

"'lo Adri. Sleep well?"

"Er, if waking up at five in the morning is well then, yes." I answered with rye humor. She laughed at my comment, but suddenly stopped.

"Why are you wearing green and silver?" she asked, all traces of humor gone from her face.

"I just like the two colors together, is there something wrong with that?" I gazed at her with suspicion.

"No! I mean, there's nothing wrong with them it's just that," she added hastily, but left off when she saw Hermione coming towards us.

"Hi Adri. Ginny have you started to review your textbooks yet?  It's never too early to start studying, you know."  Ginny rolled her eyes, and I stifled a laugh behind my hand.

"Come on, we'll be late for breakfast if we don't get going." I followed Ginny and Hermione into the common room where we found Ron and Harry engaged in an avid

talk concerning that year's Quidditch plans. Ginny and Hermione with ease jumped into the crowd with ease, and made their way to Harry and Ron, oblivious to the fact that I had not followed. I stood on the edges of the massive group staring at them all. I turned away in disgust. I walked over to the portrait hole and pushed it open.

"Mornin' Adri." Shiina called materializing on my right shoulder. Shiina had been there when I had first woken up in this world not knowing, or remembering anything. She was small, about the size of a kitten. She had long, floppy bunny ears; one covered her right eye. Her ears were tipped in black while the rest of her was pink. She had many long, thin tails fanning out behind her, but besides that, looked cute and harmless.  However, I knew the truth. I had seen what she had done to some of the hospital workers after they had hurt me.

"How did you get in here Shiina? I thought there was a shield protecting the school and grounds surrounding it."  I said, more than a little confused.

"There was, but being as old as it is, I was able to find a loop hole. You should be happier to see me, not suspicious, Adri."  She replied.

"Hey, Shiina, can you tell me where the dinning hall is?" Shiina lifted her right ear up revealing the lime green eye underneath. 

"This way," She pointed me right.  I took off down the corridor. She pointed to where I had to go when we came to intersections and stairs. We met no one all the while we walked through the castle.

"I wonder where everyone is." I pondered out loud.

"It's their day off; they're all probably sleeping in, and doing last minute work for class tomorrow." Shiina replied nonchalantly. 

            "It just seems a little weird to me, there has to be some early risers." I argued. I closed my mouth as I drew in site of the great oak doors leading to the dinning hall. I stopped short. My heart was pounding in my chest. 'What am I so scared of?' I pushed my doubts aside and opened the doors with both hands. I kept my head down, not daring to meet anyone's eyes. I kept my eyes pealed on the stone floor and strode over to the Gryffindor table. I pulled out a random chair and sat down.

            "Have you seen my toad, Trevor?" an annoyingly cheerful voice asked from beside me. I looked up. 

 "No, I have not seen your toad, Trevor. And you would be?" I asked in an unintentional chilly voice. He gulped.

            "I'm Neville." he sputtered. I looked down at the boy. He was rather chubby with neatly trimmed brown hair. His blank, brown eyes stared up at me, a contrast with his flushed skin. "Who're you?"

            "Someone of no importance." I brushed his question away. I looked up, right into the slate hued eyes of Draco Malfoy. I gazed at him; the guarded look on his face betrayed no emotions.  He seemed to pierce and cut me open with his eyes. I felt naked under his intense gaze.  I broke the contact, and turned away from him.

            "Adrianna," I heard someone call my name. I whipped around, I saw Dumbledore calling me from the teachers table. He beckoned me to come to him. I stood up and walked down the middle isle heading to the teacher's table. "Mr. Ollivander is here to fit you with a proper wand now." I nodded and followed him to his office down the hall. He paused at the gargoyle statues guarding the entrance to his

office. "Droobles Best Chewing Gum," the door swung open, and I followed him inside. We stepped into a well-furnished circular room with a tall, wrinkly man in the center of it.

            "So this is Adrianna Kaitou? Why yes, you do look like your late parents, my most heartfelt condolences about their deaths. Your father was a 13 inch oak with one unicorn hair, and if memory serves me, your mother a 16 inch maple with one phoenix feather. I think this wand will do nicely for

you." For a moment I stood there astonished that he had also known my parents, but before I could say anything, I found myself with a wand in hand.  Nothing happened. He placed another in my hand.  

"14" oak, one phoenix feather." Nothing again. "No, 10" birch, one phoenix feather and one unicorn hair." I waved it around, again, nothing. "Hmm, interesting, you'll be a challenge I see." 

            Sixteen wands later Ollivander was all out of wands that he had brought. He used a spell to summon brand new ones and sent the rest back. Twenty more later, none reacted in any way. He summoned more. Thirty later, nothing.

            "Stop. I've had enough. Obviously there is no wand that'll react for me. You're just wasting your time." I finally said, exasperated.

"Nonsense, we'll find the wand, don't worry." Ollivander coaxed.

"How about this one; 14 1/4 inch silver birch with one suzaku feather." He placed it in my palm. I grasped it and flung my arm up in a wide arc. Bright green, blue, indigo, silver, gold, pink, yellow and other colored streamers burst out of the tip of the wand.

            "It worked!" Ollivander and I chorused simultaneously. I grinned at Dumbledore who grinned back at me.

"Congratulations, you now have your very own wand." I beamed at him. "You can go join your fellow Gryffindors at breakfast now."

            "Thanks Mr. Ollivander, Professor Dumbledore." I waved and raced for the door. I tore it open and raced own the stairs at break neck speed. "Wait, why walk when you can slide?" I hopped onto the banister and slid down the rest of the stairs. I landed in a heap at the bottom of the stairwell, right on top of someone.

            "Ow!" someone yelped. Laughing, I untangled myself from the pile of limbs and robes. I stopped laughing when I noticed whom I had landed on.

            "Er, sorry 'bout that Ron." I looked down at the floor blushing madly. "I didn't, er see you." I looked up, and he was laughing hard, hand clutched to his side. I cocked my head, "What's so funny?" When he saw what I was doing he laughed even harder. I had to crack a smile when I saw how stupid he was acting.

            "You, you," wheeze, "you came down the stairs, landed on me, and you can only say, er sorry Ron." He answered, perfectly imitating my voice.

            "I'm glad that you find it so amusing." I smiled and gave him a hand, and pulled him up from his position keeled over on the floor.

            "Thanks. Tell Harry and Hermione that I'll be back shortly; I have some stuff to clear up first. See you later at breakfast." He smiled and started his climb up the stairs. I watched him climb out of view before I turned away.

            "Where have you been? We've been looking for you Adri!" Hermione lectured.

            "I was out." I answered coldly. Hermione looked at me with a look of contempt on her face. However, there was something else there too. I think it was determination.

            "You were not 'out' Adri. Where were you?" she interrogated me, power and strength emitting from her voice. I cringed before her, my force retreating under the strength of hers. I sighed.

            "I had to go get a wand from Dumbledore. Is that okay with you?" I asked her snidely.

            "You could have waited and come down with us, you know. I know that you knew this, but you left us there anyways. What is your problem?" she questioned shrilly. Several heads swung our way, eager looks on their faces at the prospect of a scene. She stared at me; I turned away from her, not wanting to meet her eyes. I caught Harry staring at the two of us from down the length of the table, where he was previously engaged in yet another chat about Quidditch. I looked back at Hermione.

            "Do you want the bare naked truth laid out before you then, as to why I didn't want to stay with you and your fellow Gryffindor friends?" I asked, adding un-needed emphasis on friends.

            "Yes," she said tersely.

            "Fine," I snapped. "Being around you people makes me uncomfortable, even sick. You all know each other and you forget about me amidst your busy lives. I just need your help to know a little bit about this place, and then I'm out of your perfect, meaningless little lives. Okay, are you happy now?!" I asked, raising my voice. I made an effort to reign in my rage emitting from me in tendrils of negative energy that I could just barely see. Hermione just stared at me in shock for a few moments. "Oh, by the way Ron instructed me to tell you that he will be back shortly. I'm leaving, enjoy your breakfast." I stood up, causing my chair to fall back and hit the floor with a loud crash. I didn't care. I half ran, half sprinted out of the dinning hall feeling the eyes of all the students on my back. I closed the doors behind me with a loud bang.

            "Shiina!" I yelled hysterically.

            "Here!" she materialized on my shoulder. "No need to yell." she scolded.

            "Shut up," I bit off each letter. "Just get me out of here."

            "Sure, whatever you say." she jumped down to the floor and I half blind, followed her outside. Once outside with the freezing north wind blowing on me, I felt much better, as if a giant weight had been lifted off my shoulders. The rising tension that had been mounting within me began to subside.

            "Thanks Shiina. I'm sorry for snapping at you, I wasn't in the best of moods."

            "No problem, Adri." We walked through the snow heading for the frozen lake, Shiina assured me was there. I collapsed onto the frozen, snow covered ground. I brought my legs up to my chest and wrapped my arms around my legs trying to keep warm. "It wasn't very smart to leave without a coat." I threw a snowball at her in response. I stared out across the frozen lake.

            "Ah, I could have just ruined my one and only chance at regaining my memory back. I need to be friends with Hermione if I want to get close to Harry. I'm beginning to doubt if he can even help me at all. He doesn't seem to like me."

            "Sure he will Adri, it's only your second day here! Give him a chance!" I stood up abruptly.

            "I need to clear my head so I'm going flying." I told her. I read shock on her face.

            "Are you insane, or just seriously unstable? You can't just go flying whenever you want! Besides, you don't know how to ride a broom!"

            "Who said anything about using a broom?" I asked her, smiling.

            "No, NO! Absolutely not! You're NOT doing that again!" she instructed me, in a strict tone of voice, leaving no room for discussion.

            "No one's here to witness it anyway. Where's your sense of adventure?" I teased.

            "You know what happened last time." The smile left my face at that comment. I turned away from her.

            "I don't care. They can't hurt me here, Shiina." I finally uttered after awhile. "Even if you don't agree with me, the least you can do is keep watch for me." She turned away, furious at me, but none the less, walked a distance away and kept watch. "Okay," I took a deep breath. I cleared my mind of all thoughts except one, levitation. I opened my eyes; I was five feet above the ground. I giggled.

            "Enough already, hurry up and clear your head, and get back down on the ground where you belong." 

            "You're just jealous." She gave an indignant huff and turned back. I rose higher and floated around the lake twice. I landed rather clumsily on the ground again. I fell face first into the snow, spread eagle like. I propped one arm up, and pulled my face out of the snow. Shiina was laughing extremely hard and had rolled onto her back. She turned silent all of a sudden.

            "Someone comes." With that she disappeared, and left me out alone in the cold, with an unknown someone heading my way.

            "Adri? What are you doing sprawled in the snow?" Hermione inquired. She held out her hand. I slapped her hand away and defiantly resettled into a more comfortable position.

            "What are you doing here Hermione?" I spat. She looked directly at me.

            "I came to apologize for my behavior towards you. I forgot that everything must seem awfully new to you. I guess I'm jealous, you were able to learn magic in a week that took me five years to learn. It just doesn't seem fair to me." she looked away from me and glanced at the lake. "Please Adri, give me another chance at being your friend." she fixed her piercing gaze on me. My mask crumbled and fell into pieces at the look on her face. 'Why, she's sincere.'

            "Hermione, can you ever forgive me? I'm so sorry; I didn't mean to say such awful things to you. I don't know what came over me. I can't believe that I even said those things! Oh Hermione, I'm sorry!" with a laugh she silenced me.

            "Don't give me that lachrymose expression." she scolded softly. "It's nothing. I'm sure it's all just nerves strung too tight. Forget it Adri. Let's go do something interesting, what do you say?" she stood up and gave me her hand. We started strolling towards the door to the school. "Say, have you read Hogwarts a History?"

            "Um I don't believe so," I began.

            "Well, there's no better place to start learning about Hogwarts!" she exclaimed excitedly. I rolled my eyes. We walked back in just as the students were leaving. Ron, Harry and Ginny stepped out of the stream and stood with us in the doorway.

            "Did you resolve your argument?" Harry feverently whispered to Hermione. She smiled at him. An unspoken understanding passed between the two, and Harry smiled. I turned away from them.

            "So what do you guys want to do this afternoon? Do you want to go have a snowball fight?" Ron suggested. "Maybe play some Quidditch. Adri, I don't believe you've played before have you? So why don't we teach her how?" I nodded my head in consensus. The rest of the group agreed and we all went back to the common room to collect our winter cloaks and boots. I tugged on my imitation fur lined cloak and clasped it securely closed and donned thick dragon hide boots with heavy woolen socks underneath. I slipped on warm, heavy mittens and walked down to the common room. I was the last to appear.

            "What took you so long?" Ginny asked slyly. "Where you primping yourself in the mirror again?" I scoffed at her remark.

            "Me, primping?" I burst out laughing. "No, silly, I had to borrow some stuff from some of the other girls. I wasn't exactly outfitted for winter."

            "Adri, do you have your own broom?" Harry asked me.

            "Nope," I answered embarrassed.

            "Hey, Fred, George, come over here for a second will you?" The two twins I had met earlier came bounding over.

            "What is it?"

            "You guys are going outside and didn't invite us along?" one asked indignantly.

            "Sorry, you guys never wanted to come with us before, we didn't think to ask. Can Adri borrow one of your brooms?" Harry asked them.

            "Sure!" they both answered in unison.

            "I offered first Fred!"

            "No I did!" protested the other. I rolled my eyes.

            "Please," they both ceased to bicker and turned to face me with rapt attention. "I just need to borrow a broom until I purchase my own. So can one of you please just fork your broom over for the afternoon? The other I'll teach," I bit my lip. "How to play cards." They groaned.

            "We already know how to play cards!" Fred sputtered. George elbowed his twin.

            "Some games can get you into close contact with the other player." He winked.

            "You guys!" Ron hollered.

            "Ooh sorry Ron, forgot that you have dibs." Ron turned crimson.

            "Take it or leave it." I cut in. Ron looked relieved. Fred took off for his room and came back shortly, broom in hand.

            "Thank you." I answered curtly.

            "They can be such gits sometimes." Ginny commented. We walked out onto the pitch, it was clear of students.

            "Are you ready to begin?" I nodded my head and Harry began to explain. "Place your right hand above the broom and say up."

            "Up," the broom hopped into my hand.

            "Now mount it and push off the ground like this," Harry demonstrated. 

            I learned all about playing Quidditch that afternoon. Even Hermione joined in, playing a friendly game. I was soaring high above, bat in hand. I was in the beater position trying it out. I looked down; there by the fringe where field met woodland stood Draco Malfoy. He stared up at me with an acidulous look on his face. Harry Potter's nemesis was beginning to get on my nerves. 'I hate the way he looks at me with that look on his face. It makes my skin crawl. It's so creepy, it's like he can see straight through me.'

            "Adri! A little help please!" hollered Hermione from below me. A bludger was coming straight at her. I sped down and a thought occurred to me. This would be the perfect time to get even with Draco. I took aim and aimed the bludger right where Draco was standing.

            "Adri, quick! The bludger is going to hit that person in the stands!" I looked over my shoulder. Draco was no longer standing there, instead some mysterious other person was there, straight in the path of the bludger. Harry and I sped down. I passed the bat to him since his broom was by far better and faster than the one I was borrowing. He knocked the bludger aside and landed by the boy. I landed along with the rest of the group.

            "I'm so sorry; I didn't know anyone was standing there!"

            "It's okay."

            "Are you sure?" Ginny asked.

            "Yes, quite sure." He answered her with ease. "What is your name?" he asked staring straight at me. "I'd like to know who to avoid during Quidditch practices in the future." I crossed my arms as the other laughed.

            "Adrianna, you?"

            "Jemson. Now I really must be going. Have fun and watch out for other innocent bystanders Adrianna. Won't want to kill anyone would you now?" he asked smirking. I decided then that there was just something about Jemson that I hated. I tried to shrug off the feeling of foreboding that was stealthy creeping into my mind. But there was just something about him that made me want to break out my wand and hex him senseless. He turned and swaggered away.

            "Who was that guy?"

            "That was Jemson. He's a Hufflepuff sixth year. Secretly the girls have nominated him the third best-looking guy at Hogwarts." Ginny whispered into my ear. I had to agree with her. Jemson was incredibly good looking but there was that something lurking below the surface.

            "I'm tired of playing Quidditch and we really should study before tomorrow." Several snowballs pelting her cut off Hermione's suggestion. She put her hands up in front of her face to ward off the snowballs. Ginny and I stood beside her and took aim at the two boys. After having a brief snowball fight we all lay down in the snow exhausted.

            "I'm hungry, when is lunch going to be served?" I complained.

            "Soon hopefully, that way I can go in and warm up, I'm freezing!" exclaimed Harry.

            "We also have to study, and you, Adri have to start reading Hogwarts a History." I groaned. I got hit with a half-hearted snowball by Hermione. I stood up slowly letting my tired legs and arms adjust to the change.

            "I'm going to head back now and take a nice warm shower, what about you guys?"

            "Yeah, we should probably do the same. We need to get changed for lunch anyways." Ginny said rationally. We all slouched back up the walk to the school. I slowed down so I could walk next to Harry. 

            "Harry, what do you know about Draco Malfoy?" Harry coloured lightly. No one else seemed to notice the change.

            "Draco Malfoy," he said his name slowly. "What could you possibly want to know about him?"

            "Oh, nothing." I laughed inwardly. This was going to prove to be interesting. I ran ahead to re-join Hermione and Ginny. Hermione and I went ahead and charged into the fifth year girl's dormitory. We grabbed up various articles of clothing and forced our bodies to carry us as fast as possible to the showers. I stood under the scorching spray and felt my skin begin to unfreeze. Stepping out thirty minutes later, I dressed in a plain white sweater and baggy jeans. When I came down to the common room everyone was assembled there already. Ron and Harry were engaged in a fierce game of wizard's chess, and Hermione and Ginny watched them play.

            "What took you so long Adri? I would have thought you'd freeze to death when the hot water ran out." Harry joked.

            "I used a warming spell." Harry lifted his eyebrows in surprise. "It wasn't that hard. My wand's just a little water logged at the moment." I shrugged, "it was worth it, now I'm nice and warm again." Harry turned back to the game to find that Ron had killed his knight.

            "Should have been paying attention Harry." Ron smiled at the look on Harry's face.

            "Adri, lunch should be served in an hour, by the way. So you can begin reading now." Hermione held up a fat book in her hands. I sighed and took the book from her hands and plopped myself down on a velvet red couch and opened the book.

An hour later the trio, Adri, and Ginny headed down to lunch.

"Yum! Pumpkin pie!" exclaimed Ginny in delight. Lunch was well underway and we were all enjoying our varied tastes in food. I had some Japanese noodle soup, my personal favorite. Harry and Ron had deserted us to go and talk about Quidditch strategy with some of the other boys that were seated at the opposite end of the table from us. I had by then finished all the food on my plate, and was just sitting there listening to my neighbors engaged in intriguing conversations. Lunch was ending, and the other students were beginning to leave so I seized the chance.

"I'll be back, I have some business to take care of." With that I pushed my chair back and walked over to the Slytherin table just as Draco and his cronies were getting ready to leave. "A moment Draco," I stared at his two bodyguards "in private please." He smirked.

"I didn't know that you were interested in me like that Adri." He drawled.

"Oh shut up you big git." I grabbed hold of the sleeve of his robe and dragged him out into the hall. 

I failed to notice the fierce glare Ginny aimed at my back at the sight of me dragging Draco out of the great hall. Ginny, exercising self control stayed in her seat despite her rage.

 Draco followed behind me cursing avidly. When we had exited the dinning hall, he grabbed my wrist and bent it. I let the course fabric fall from my hand. He dropped my hand and stared at his sleeve.

"Look what you did, you stretched it!" he whined.

"Shut up!" I yelled. "You listen to me. Stop following me around, do you here me?!"

"What, am I making you nervous?" he smirked. In an already furious mood I slapped him.

"Yes you are Malfoy. Now stop it!" I looked up at him with panic filled eyes. "Just stop following me around its creeping me out!" I hit him in the chest with both hands. "Just stop it!" I felt tears gathering in the corners of my eyes. I guess all the unwanted stress was reaching a crescendo inside me and was desperately looking for a way out. I glanced up at him. His face and eyes were unreadable. He didn't seem like he was going to strike me. The lack of emotion on his face chilled me. I stepped back from him, suddenly afraid. He just stood there looking at me, a critical look in his eyes, like he was calculating exactly what retort would inflict the most damage on me. 

I heard a whoosh from behind me. I was about to turn around and see the source of the bizarre sound when I felt something strike me in the back. A white-hot, searing pain spread through my body. The pain was most intense at the point of origin, in the middle of my back. I pitched forward on to my knees; they hit the floor with a hollow thud. I realized rather slowly that I would have smacked my head on the floor if Draco hadn't caught me as I fell. I tried to concentrate on his face; however it swam before my eyes. His voice seemed to come from far away. I could only make out my name repeated over and over.

~end of chapter one~

This chapter has ended.


	2. Kage Tetachi Shadow Hands

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Shattered Dreams (2/?)

Author: Meri

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Email: Meri015@schnoogle.com

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Category: Romance, action, mystery, 

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Keywords: Trio, Draco, Ginny, Original character

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Spoilers: All books

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Rating: PG-13 

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Last chapter: Adrianna journey's to Hogwarts, but on the way some mishaps occurred. Is turning Draco in to a popsicle really that bad? 

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Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. Also Kyuuketski Miyu characters are the property of their corresponding owners/designers.

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A/N: As always thanks to my betas for their help in getting this fic. written. (Janina, Morgana, Christy, and Fefi). Translations for the Spanish dialogue are in Italics next to the corresponding phrase. (Many thanks to Mar for editing my Spanish for me, a girl can only learn so much in a few years!) I took the quote I used below from Toki ni ai wa sung by Masami Ukui.

~*~

Toki ni ai wa tsuyoku hito no kokoro o kitsuke motsure keredo

Yume o atae yuuki no naka ni itsumo hikari kagayaki hamatsu

Hitotsu no chikara ni…

__

The time for love is when a strong person's heart is wounded.

Dreams always given of inside courage and shining light separated.

The strength of one…

~*~

Draco watched her face tighten in pain as she tried to focus on his face.

"Adri, answer me. Adri, Adri! You have to stay awake, Adri!" he called. She didn't seem able to hear him. Draco scanned the corridor for help, but it was vacant; everyone had retired to their common rooms. He turned back to her. Adri's condition seemed to be visibly worsening. Her face was taking on an even lighter pallor than was normal for her. Also her eyelids kept trying to close, but then they'd suddenly snap open, and then close, over and over. She was obviously fighting to stay conscious. "Adri, listen to me, I'm going to take you to the Gryffindor common room. Hang in there, Adri." Draco told her desperately. She seemed to nod in response. Draco bent down gently with the utmost care picked her up. He cradled her head against his chest and tried to keep her as still as possible. He was unaware of how badly hurt she was. For that matter, he had no idea what exactly had happened to her. She had no visible injuries that he had noticed. It appeared to him that it had to be something related to magic.

Draco raced down the corridor as fast as he could without moving her too much. It never occurred to him why he was bringing her to the Gryffindors and not to Madam Pomfrey's, he just did it impulsively. Draco also failed to notice the malevolent and suspicious shadow of a person lurking around the corner. The mysterious character laughed to himself and took off in the opposite direction. His plan had been put in motion and it had been executed in perfect accordance to what his master had instructed. He smiled to himself again and continued on his way.

Draco was now thoroughly exhausted from carrying dead weight up many innumerable flights of stairs. He stopped at the entrance to yet another walkway to catch his breath. Draco also stopped to collect his thoughts on how he was going to pull this stunt off without getting in too much trouble as a result. He placed her gently on the ground and leaned her against the wall.

"How am I going to find the Gryffindor common room without Adri's help?" Draco asked out loud. He was met with silence. With a sigh, he picked her back up and trudged on down the corridor. He had been walking for maybe fifteen minutes when he came to an abrupt halt. He had heard something coming towards them. 'If it's a student this'll look really suspicious.' he thought. His eyes glanced around, fervently looking for a place to hide. All the while the voices were coming closer. Draco quickly stepped into the shadow of a near-by pillar and waited for the students to pass. He gazed out, trying to see who was coming without being seen at the same time. Suddenly, the voices stopped. Draco waited; the only sound was his raspy breathing and the sound of his beating heart ringing loud in his ears. He waited some time until he was sure it was safe to come out. Draco stepped out from his hiding place to come face to face with Harry Potter.

"Strange finding you here, Malfoy," Draco looked behind Harry. As usual his two friends, Granger and Weasley accompanied him.

"Is that Adri you're holding?" Hermione asked peering closer. Draco moved Adri away from Hermione, trying to shield her from them.

"Malfoy! What did you do to Adri you git?!" Ron yelled at him. Ron's fists were already tightly clenched shut, anticipating a fight.

"I didn't do anything to her Weasley." Draco's face contorted as he realized that he would have to ask for their help. Harry must have noticed because he began to question Draco.

"Malfoy, what did you do to Adri?" he asked in a painfully tight voice. Harry's eyes were flashing in anger, and he too looked like he was ready for a fight. Draco blanched but answered Harry truthfully enough.

"I told you Potter, I didn't do anything to her. I was just bringing her to your Gryffindor common room." he said the last bit slowly and with reluctance.

"I don't believe you, you slimy bastard." Ron started to advance on Draco as he said this.

"You can look for yourself, I have not harmed her. I have no reason to."

"Since when did you need a motive, Malfoy?" Hermione spat. However, her curiosity prevailed, and she walked up to Draco and peered at Adri. Adri's breathing was shallow and her pulse, upon inspection, was weak and erratic. She placed her hand on Adri's forehead.

"She doesn't have a fever." Hermione looked up, "Malfoy, she needs to be brought down to the infirmary for treatment right away."

"I told you already, Granger, I was bringing her up to you Gryffindors to take care of. She's in your house, therefore your responsibility." he said waspishly.

"She's sick and the only thing you can think about is that this doesn't concern you? Are you too prideful to help someone in need, Malfoy?" Ron left off, too enraged to speak. Draco looked to Harry for help, Harry met his gaze directly, albeit briefly.

"Ron take Adri from Malfoy. We'll take her to the common room until she wakes up. Then we'll find out what to do then. I have a feeling that Adri should be kept away from prying eyes at the moment." Harry concluded. Draco gave Harry an almost un-noticeable nod of thanks before he hefted Adri to the floor once again. Ron shoved Draco out of the way. Draco quickly regained his footing and barely suppressed the urge to beat Ron senseless. Ron picked Adri up, and staggered under the weight. Draco smirked.

"Not so strong, huh Weasley? Can't pick up around 115 pounds?"

"Shut up Malfoy," Ron answered through clenched teeth.

"Let's go," With that, the other two followed Harry as they headed away. As soon as they turned the corner Draco let out a sigh of relief. His mission was complete; it was now out of his hands.

~*~

It was ponderous work for Ron to concentrate on not jarring Adri at all. Her head lolled around until Hermione placed Adri's head against Ron's chest. 'I wonder what Malfoy did to her; she looks like she got hurt pretty badly. But there are no physical wounds evident. Maybe,' Ron left off.

"Hermione!" Ron called. She was up ahead walking with Harry. They both paused and waited for him to catch up. "Hermione, what are some symptoms of a curse?" 

She got that far away look in her eyes, as she did when she was trying to remember something. "Well, it depends entirely on the curse. Can you make it more specific?" Ron simply pointed at Adri. Hermione uttered a simple "oh," and went over to peer at Adri more closely.

"You think she had a curse put on her Ron?"

"Yeah, she looks like she got in a fight, but yet there is no physical evidence. So it must be magic related. Also, I don't think a simple hex would cause this type of results."

"Ah, this is too hard. I can't think of anything. We'll need to do some research and narrow it down. However, I think you're right Ron, this is no simple hex. This could very well be dark magic."

"I bet that git Malfoy did this to her! If he did," Harry put a re-assuring hand on Ron's shoulder to calm him.

"We'll find out soon enough Ron. I doubt Malfoy would do something this terrible." Ron looked disbelievingly at Harry. 'I hope I'm right about this.' Harry thought to himself. It appeared to Ron that Harry didn't seem to believe his own words. They continued along until they reached the portrait hole.

"Beelzebub," They stepped inside. Hermione scanned the room quickly, it was empty. She raced up the stairs to the girl's fifth year dormitory. Ron and Harry trailed behind her nervously looking around for possible girl sightings. Hermione beckoned them in and they followed her and closed the door with extreme caution. Ron placed Adri on her bed. She moaned and moved her head to the side. Sweat was gathered on her brow and her breathing was growing steadily more ragged as her eyelids fluttered open. She stared up into the concerned face of Ron. Ron looked into her eyes, they appeared to be purple. But she blinked and they returned to their normal hazel. Ron blinked repeatedly believing it to be a trick of the light.

"How are you feeling, Adri?" inquired Ginny who had joined them when they entered the common room. She had been studying alone for the rest of the Gryffindors were outside or elsewhere.

"I feel like someone skinned me, burned me, set me in a bucket of glacier water and pounded my bones to dust. That pretty much sums it all up." she said dryly. Ron smiled.

"Glad to know you're alive. You must be hungry. Can you sit up?" Hermione asked. Adri paused then shook her head.

"It hurts to breath, let alone sit up. Sorry Hermione,"

"It's okay. You can stay here and rest. We'll all leave and get some food for you and us. We'll all eat it up here. Ron, you stay and watch her." Ron threw Hermione a murderous look.

"Why am I always stuck babysitting?" he whined. Ginny and Harry shot him identical poisonous looks.

"Grow up, Ron." With that Ginny stormed out followed closely by the rest of the gang. Ron sighed and dragged a chair over to Adri's bed. He sat down heavily. He stared at the air above her head. Too embarrassed to talk, or even look at her.

"I'm sorry that you have to stay behind with me. It was terribly unfair to you. I'm always a burden to everyone around me." she murmured softly.

"No, not at all," he reassured her quickly. She closed her eyes and Ron stared out the window. The room was immersed in thick silence. It was broken when Adri abruptly asked,

"What is your family like?" Ron was startled out of his reverie but answered her question.

"Well I have five brothers; Bill, Charlie, Percy, George and Fred and a little sister, Ginny, obviously. I'm the second to youngest so my brothers picked on me a lot. But, it was nice having so many siblings sometimes. We used to play quidditch in the yard almost every day in the summer." Adri smiled warmly at that comment. "My parents are loving I guess, but my father is often not at home. He works for the Ministry so he's busy there, and when he does come home, he's too tired to do much. My mother is always doing something. She cooks, cleans, you name it, she does it. She also gets excited easily, to say the least. She was so excited when Ginny left for Hogwarts for the first time. She was eccentric that morning, running around gathering clothes to do last minute packing, worried that Ginny might need them. She cried the rest of the morning, all worked up that her last child was leaving to go to school." Ron paused and thought for a moment. "Adri, where did you get the last name Kaitou?" He was startled when Adri began to laugh, but quickly stopped as she winced in pain.

"Dumbledore thinks it wise not to reveal my real last name. He fears that people may want to harm me, the people behind my disappearance, that is. I actually picked the name, it means "thief" which is what I am." She stopped talking and her face scrunched up in pain.

"You're not a thief! How can you say that? You're honest and you haven't given anyone any reason to doubt you! Everyone likes you, including my sister who can be picky about people!" Ron stopped; he realized too late that he had been rambling.

"Forget about what I said. Please go on talking about your family. It's nice to hear of some happy memories. Your mother sounds like the perfect mother." her eyes clouded over and she fell silent. 'She must miss her parents very much.' Ron reflected for a moment.

"You'll have to meet her sometime," Ron suggested absent-mindedly.

"I'd like that." They both fell silent. Ron guessed that Adri was silent only because of the pain, rather than embarrassment, unlike him. The door banged open and in walked Harry, Hermione, and Ginny trailing behind. They gathered around her bed and Hermione placed Adri's dinner on the nightstand.

"How is she?"

"She hasn't gotten any worse." Hermione shrugged and went over to see if Adri needed help eating.

~*~

"Please Harry! I need a tour before tomorrow! I won't know my way around!" Adri begged. Harry looked down at her. She was still in bed. Adri was gradually improving steadily every hour. She claimed that it didn't hurt her to move that much anymore. Harry did not believe her one bit, however.

"No, you're still too faint to even try and walk around a whole castle. And who knows what will be waiting for us? If Filch suddenly finds us, you can't exactly run and hide. Besides, we can't fit everyone under the invisibility cloak."

"You have an invisibility cloak?" Adri gasped. Harry cringed; he hadn't meant to let that tidbit of information out. Harry opened his mouth to reply but was cut short. "I won't tell anyone." Harry closed his mouth and leaned back in his chair.

"Adri, seriously now, you're hurt. Harry's right, you're in no condition to walk around at all." Hermione reasoned.

"But there has to be a way I can tour the castle without walking!" she protested. That gave Harry an idea.

"Why don't we summon a wheelchair and spell it to float above the ground that way you could go up stairs and you'd be able to get away if we are chased." Harry suggested.

"That's a brilliant idea! Thanks Harry!" she smiled warmly at Harry from her spot on the bed.

"What is a wheelchair anyway, Harry?" Ron's comment was ignored in the midst of the excitement as he noticed owing to the fact that Harry never answered him.

"How are we going to get a wheelchair without raising un-needed attention? I mean Madam Pomfrey would wonder why we needed a wheelchair. And if we lie about Adri's condition she might want to see her anyway, and then what?" Hermione said rationally.

"I would prefer it if Madam Pomfrey didn't see me in this condition." Adri responded quietly. It went unsaid, but they all knew what she was talking about. There was something about Adri, which she didn't want anyone to discover. They respected her need for privacy and didn't press her for information. 'I wonder what she could be hiding behind that blank, expressionless face.' Harry shook his head to clear his mind.

"Why don't we summon one from a near-by hospital?" Ginny suggested.

"The nearest hospital is pretty far away. There's no way we could get it to come here."

"We'll leave school grounds, summon it and return here to the common room." 

"Or what if we transfigure something?" peeped Ginny. Everyone stared at her in silence.

"That could work," Harry finally said.

They argued among themselves for some time until they agreed on a plan. Ron and Harry would transfigure an armchair from the common room. They would proceed to use a shrinking spell to transport it back to the observatory where they were going to meet up with the rest of the gang. Ginny and Hermione were going to help Adri get to the observatory. Their excuse if caught was that she was exhausted and had lost something that she needed for class up in the observatory. A half-hour later Ron and Harry arrived.

"Thank you so much Harry!" Adri thanked him over and over. 

'She seems so transformed now, it's uncanny.' Harry mused thoughtfully. Ron released the spell and the wheelchair expanded to its original size. Adri wobbled in and sat down, beaming. Ginny performed the simple spell to levitate it when needed and they were off to explore the school.

~*~

Adri's point of view:

It was hard work to figure out how to maneuver in the wheel chair at first. I eventually got a handle on it and I was able to move with ease. It was getting dark outside and the visibility dimmed. It was freaky, but exhilarating at the same time. I loved the unease of not knowing what would happen next, what we could meet here in the dungeons. 

"What is that?" I asked pointing to an unlit corridor that was immersed in darkness.

"That?" Harry looked nervous. "It just leads to a dead end," he finally said. I gazed at him, unbelieving. 'What are you hiding now Harry? I guess I'm not the only one with buried secrets.' I smiled a knowing smile at him and dropped the subject, but I made sure to put the incident to memory.

"I feel like someone is following us," Ron said hesitantly.

"Don't be such a sissy Ron." Ginny retorted.

"I feel it too, Ginny. This place is making me nervous." Hermione said, scanning the corridor with fear filled eyes. Fear spread through the group like wild fire. Even I got worked up a little bit. We walked on, keeping a close eye on our backs. 

"I hear muffled footsteps."

"I don't think someone would be following this close to us. You must be hearing things." Ginny brushed aside my fear. I still felt uneasy but listened to her voice of reason.

"It's probably Malfoy and his thugs coming to cause even more trouble." Ron hissed. Ginny hit him in the arm. Harry put a hand over Ron's mouth before he could make a noise.

"I heard something that time. Adri isn't lying. Walk a little faster. Don't look back." Harry instructed us. We picked up our pace and so did our pursuer. I saw Harry unpocket his wand, turn around and whisper a spell. Blinding light filled the corridor, there was no one there.

"I-I saw someone's foot disappear behind that bend. Some one really is following us." Hermione whispered fearfully. Harry's light was fading fast.

"They'll be on us as soon as that light disappears. They must realize by now that we have figured out that they're there." Ron said.

"I'll cast a light spell," I began.

"NO! You're too drained to do any magic tonight. Save your strength." Ginny said forcefully. I complied and we started walking even faster. We suddenly heard footsteps coming towards us, no longer muffled. They took off at a run. I poured all my strength into spinning the wheels of my wheelchair. I felt warm breath on my neck.

" Corre, mi amor." (_Run, my love) _the voice whispered in my ear. I felt a shadow touch my cheek and then the demon presence was gone. I shuddered and stopped wheeling. No one noticed my absence as they sped off into the distance. I felt the alien blood surging in my veins, bubbling to the surface. I embraced the darkness and felt it sweep over me. "Volves a mi, me amor." _(Return to me, my love) _it whispered right by my ear.

" Lo siento, no puedo volver. ¿Quién eres tú?" (_I am sorry, I am not able to return. Who are you?)_ I responded. The mysterious stranger simply laughed. I felt something touch my cheek once more. I couldn't see anything in the darkness but I tried to discern who was talking to me.

"Hasta manana," (_See you tomorrow) _I felt misty lips brush my forehead as the apparition disappeared.

"No! No, sales!" (_No! Do not go!) _But from the silence filling the corridor I could tell he was gone. "Who are you?" I whispered futilely, not expecting an answer. I stood up, filled with energy. I spelled the wheelchair and pocketed it. I headed back to the common room with a swagger in my step; I was back to normal, for the moment.

~*~

"What is your class schedule today?" Ginny asked, leaning over my shoulder to see my schedule while we ate breakfast.

"1st and 2nd periods, transfiguration, lunch, 3rd is study with Slytherin and last period is charms with Ravenclaw." she laughed merrily at the look on my face.

"Don't worry about anything. Your first day will go fine."

"I'll see you at dinner and prove you wrong. Where is Hermione anyway?"

"She's in the library studying." Ginny rolled her eyes and I covered my mouth with the back of my hand to prevent myself from laughing out loud.

"I had better go now and find my way to my first period class." I stood up avoiding the combined gazes of Harry and Ron. No one had asked me why I had come back to the common room late. And walking on my own two feet for that matter. They had simply looked at me, questions burning in their eyes. I had shook my head, bid them good night and left. I had sat up thinking till one in the morning that night. I still had no idea who the person was who had talked to me last night. If anything, I was left with more questions and even fewer answers. I smiled tightly at them and left the room.

~*~

I was the first one in the classroom and I sat down in the far back. I threw my books on top of the desk and sat down heavily in my seat. I looked around me, the classroom was sparse with the exception of Professor McGonagall's desk. It was cluttered with papers and equipment. Other than that the room was clean and strict in appearance, just like the professor who had just walked in. She appeared startled to see me there.

"Good day Ms. Kaitou. I do not believe class starts this early."

"Good morning to you Professor. I just wanted to make sure that I found my class okay. I didn't wish to be late to my very first class here. That wouldn't have given you a very good impression. If you beg my pardon." She simply nodded and went over to her desk to unload her bag and prepare. The rest of the students arrived and Ron, Harry and Hermione sat down by me.

"Adri? Remember our little chat we had?" Hermione asked menacingly.

"Yes, Hermione. I'm sorry, but I wanted to find my way here on my own so that way I'll learn and won't rely on you to help me all the time." She heaved a heavy sigh.

"I forgive you. Have you finished Hogwarts a History yet?" she asked eagerly.

"As a matter of fact, yes. Ron, have you read it yet?"

"No way! I have no reason to!"

"Ron!" Hermione was about to say more, but just then Professor McGonagall started class.

"Now class, I hope you all managed to complete your homework over the break. Now, can anyone tell me the spell to transfigure a slipper into a rabbit?"

And so class continued un-eventfully. That was until we were told to do the spell she had just taught us.

"_Crepida_ _Cuniculus_!" I yelled. The slipper hopped and fell off the desk. "Hermione, this just isn't working! I've done this what, five hundred times already?" I whined to her.

"It's all because you're not moving your wand properly! You can learn the spells by heart and still not be able to cast them until you master this!"

"I guess my great learning spree has come to an end." I muttered.

"Ms. Kaitou, why aren't you working on this spell? It appears to me that you are talking instead of working. Let us see how far you are with this spell. Please step up here and demonstrate it for us all." Like a doomed man walking to the gallows, I walked up to the front of the class. I felt all their eyes on me as I stood before Professor McGonagall. "Go to that far table and perform the spell." She indicated a worktable to the side of the class where a slipper sat innocently. I stared at it in loathing. 'Please, let this work!' I silently prayed.

"_Crepida_ _Cuniculus_!" the slippers turned into a furry blue rabbit. He wiggled his nose at me and hopped off the table and disappeared under the desks. Students scuttled under their desks trying to catch the run-away rabbit. I laughed. 'I guess someone up there still likes me.'

~*~

Study was a whole different story all together. We had Study with the Slytherin's in the library. Ron grumbled the whole way there about having to have study with Slytherin. Harry eventually drew his attention away from that and to Quidditch, which they were both obsessed about. 

"Do they always talk about Quidditch?"

"Oh, all the time," Hermione rolled her eyes and I giggled. We walked into the library and sat down in a secluded corner. The rest of the people filled in soon enough and then Madam Pince called for attention.

"This is a study and that is all that will happen here. You are to all to do your homework or something equally productive. If you have to talk with someone than you must do so in a whisper. No one is allowed to do any magic in here and any fighting will result in a week's worth of detention for all people involved. I will be in my office and around here, watching you today. Now get to work!" The class was silent and uneventful for it appeared that there was quite a large amount of homework to do. However, Draco of course, managed to stir up some trouble.

"Lavender, you insufferable git, I'm trying to talk here, so just shut up!" Draco whispered harshly to her.

"I'm not going to stop talking just because you told me to. Besides, you shouldn't be one to talk!" she turned her back on him and went back to hurried whisperings with Dean Thomas not even bothering to lower her voice If anything, she raised it. I watched as Draco whispered something, and suddenly everyone in the room could hear what Lavender was talking about. She and Dean didn't seam to even notice what was happening on top of that.

"Yeah, I saw Harry leave with Ron last night. I wonder where they went off to?" said Dean.

"Probably to the Astronomy Tower to snog each other silly." replied Lavender. The whole class burst out laughing and Harry and Ron turned scarlet. Hermione whispered a spell and the one Draco had cast stopped.

"Harry, Ron, are you both okay?" I asked hurriedly.

"Yes," choked Harry.

"Oh is Malfoy going to pay for this." Ron seethed in rage, "How dare he? And Lavender, her too." Hermione put a hand on Ron's shoulder to stop him from getting up and starting a brawl.

"Ron, it's not worth it. Detentions for a week, Ron."

"Yeah, Ron. Look, she's just jealous of you being best friends with Harry. Also, she's known for gossiping about things that are lies, isn't she? So let it go. We'll all get Draco back for it later."

"Ron let it go. He's not worth it. Please Ron, there more you get angry the more they will believe it to be true." Harry pleaded. Ron sat down but he was still furious and kept sending baleful looks at Malfoy who smirked at him in response. Charms with Ravenclaw went smoothly, compared to the horror that study had been.

~*~

I flopped down beside Ginny, exhausted.

"I take it you had fun today?"

"Oh yeah, loads." She pushed a cup of water into my hands. She gazed at me intently, waiting for me to spill. "It's so weird being around all these people at once. I didn't know anyone besides Harry, Ron, and Hermione, and they teamed together. I don't know anyone and its un nerving me."

"You're scared of them aren't you?" I looked up at her with haunted eyes.

"Yes," I whispered. "So many people, it's so over whelming!"

"First days are always the worst. Tomorrow will be much better. What classes do you have tomorrow?" I handed her a grubby piece of creased and torn paper. She unfolded it and read off the list. "1st period-History with Hufflepuff. 2nd period, Charms, then lunch, and 3rd and 4th period, Care of Magical Creatures with Slytherin."

"Slytherin," Ginny shivered. "Ron is always telling me how terrible they are during that class. Just stick with Ron, Hermione, and Harry okay?" I nodded. 

~*~

Draco looked across to the Gryffindor table. Adri was there sitting beside the Weasley girl. Adri looked terrible; she was paper white, a stark contrast to her dark locks. All throughout dinner she had eaten nothing, only sipped at a glass of water. Draco wouldn't admit it out loud, but he was worried about her. Draco turned away from her, embarrassed. He then proceeded to engage in conversation with a fellow Slytherin about the upcoming Hogsmead outing, trying desperately to banish all thoughts of Adri from his mind and failing miserably.

~*~

Draco glanced at the sky, fearing that more snow would fall. The snow was already eight inches deep and it was freezing cold outside in the Care of Magical Creature's class. Slytherin unfortunately had it with Gryffindor and it caused every class to be underlaced with tension. Especially where Harry Potter was concerned. Draco usually found some way to stir up trouble in this class. However, today would hopefully be different. Adri was now with them. Draco stopped scanning the sky for falling flakes and centered his steady gaze back on Hagrid.

"The harpies, unicorns, and centaurs are all gathered for observation today. Please step forward and gather the sheets for the creature you wish to observe." Hagrid instructed them all. He watched as Adri walked up to Hagrid briskly. Hagrid's eyes widened in surprise, this much was evident even though he was far away. Adri simply smiled at Hagrid and took her papers from his large hand. The rest of the students soon rushed up to get their papers. Draco reluctantly followed their example and got a paper to go observe the centaurs. He had been taking notes for several minutes when he happened to glance over at Adri. She was in front of the Harpy enclosure, hazardly close to the wide bars. If a Harpy so desired, she could grab Adri and rake her with her sharp claws. Draco ran over but stopped short; Adri appeared to be conversing with a Harpy! She finished her talk and turned around, and met Draco's gaze. Her eyes were glazed over and cold as she looked at him. The irises where dilated and her normal hazel eyes appeared to be a stormy, piercing violet.

~*~

A/N continued: I know, I know, not a great cliffhanger ending. This chapter was longer but I was urged to chop it in two, so this is the result. I want anyone who read this to PLEASE make an effort to comment/review my fic. either here or by email. It's the comments that make me want to write more. Many thanks to Sujin, Red Griffin, Clepsydra Delphinus, Morgana, "Cassey", Byrn, Theurmaynoria,

and Miss Miaka for reviewing! Thank you all!!!

Oh, and here's something worth checking out: http://hometown.aol.com/adelphie86/adelphieshogwartsschool.html 

It's Adelphie's and Cathyn's very own Hogwarts school community where me and some of my friends are enrolled. I like being part of the community there and it is a nice webysite to visit. Check it out if you'd like!

~End of Chapter~

Read? Review!


	3. Kirai da I hate you

Shattered Dreams (3/?)  
  
Author: Meri  
  
Email: Meri015@schnoogle.com  
  
Category: action, mystery,  
  
Keywords: Trio, Draco, Ginny, Original character  
  
Spoilers: All books  
  
Rating: PG-13 (Nothing bad, I just prefer maturity among my readers)  
  
Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. Also Kyuuketski Miyu characters are the property of their corresponding owners/designers.  
  
A/N: As always thanks to my betas for their help in getting this fic. written. Also Mikael is the same as Michael, just spelled differently.  
  
I apologize for this being posted so late, a song by Linkin Park comes to mind "Time, time is a valuable thing, watch it fly by as the pendulum swings." As you can see I've been extremely busy so I haven't had much time, so I hope you all enjoy this chapter! (Below is a quote from a character in Weiss Kruez.)  
  
~*~  
  
"This is your life. Good to the last drop. It doesn't get any better than this. This is your life. And it's ending one minute at a time"  
  
-Schulding  
  
Adri's point of view:  
  
As soon as I had heard Hagrid announce what we were going to do for observation that class I raced up to him and requested a paper for the Harpies. Hagrid was reluctant to give me permission but he handed them over. I walked briskly over to the Harpy enclosure and stood in front, the bars bare millimeters from my chest. The Queen Harpy launched from her perch and came to rest right in front of me.  
  
"Greetings breathen sister," she said in a superior tone of voice,  
  
"Greetings," something within me stirred and made my blood boil at the sound of her voice. I heard a rushing in my ears as my world tilted to the side as I became increasingly lightheaded. I regained my balance but I felt myself slipping, as if something had gripped me by the ankle and was dragging me under the murky water of consciousness. I felt my sense of reality disappear as if I was looking through a wall of frozen ice. My vision was impaired, but in the same sense more keen and aware. I looked at the Harpy with my altered eyesight. She was surrounded by a hallo of radiant blue light. I cocked my head to the side, puzzled.  
  
"What? Never seen a death ring aura before?"  
  
"No," I said from far away. "This is my first time seeing it around an immortal. What did you do to deserve that?"  
  
"Deserve?" she laughed, "I didn't do anything wrong. I simply chose to give up my immortality. I've been alive for millenniums. I don't expect you to understand young one."  
  
"I've been alive three hundred centuries; I know what you speak of, sister."  
  
"I choose to rest. My bones and soul are weary of this life." She huffed and ruffled her feathers.  
  
"I do not blame you for wanting to shed your shell. Give my regards to Jeanne D'arc when you depart." she smiled down at me.  
  
"You are still the same since last I saw you. No matter the shell you inhabit, you're still you. Remember that," she coughed and shifted on her perch uncomfortably.  
  
"May your passing be joyful like the coming of spring."  
  
"Quoting now are we?" there was laughter in her ancient voice. "I shall miss you small one, join us if you ever feel the need in your life."  
  
"Thank you for the gracious offer; I'm glad it still stands."  
  
"You had better be along now, your own comes seeking you." I turned around, raging at whoever dared interrupt me: Draco. As soon as I saw him, the spell was broken and I was back to normal. I shook my head. 'Weird, I could have sworn I was speaking to someone. I don't remember what I was saying though.'  
  
"Adri, you can speak the Harpies tongue?" Draco asked as he walked over to me.  
  
"No, why do you ask?" I answered him coldly.  
  
"I asked you because I saw you talking to the Harpy."  
  
"That's impossible, I don't speak Harpy." 'I don't, right?' I silently implored.  
  
"I know what I saw." Draco retorted.  
  
"What were you doing watching me anyway, Malfoy?" Draco flushed, but his discomfort was only evident for a mere second before his features became once again unreadable.  
  
"I was looking for Blaise, I just happened to unfortunately see you in my sight."  
  
"Oh, I'm sure you're scarred for life now. Go away, Malfoy." I slitted my eyes, very much annoyed at him. Annoyed was a huge understatement; I was down right furious at him. I feared that if he said one more thing to upset me any further I would rip his throat out. "Go annoy someone else. Why would you want to see Blaise anyway, if you think I'm hard on the eyes?"  
  
"Blaise at least has charm, intelligence and whit going for her. You on the other hand," he left off letting his harsh words sink in. "are about as daft as your friend Weasley," he was able to say no more before I leapt at him, landing a punch in his stomach. I jumped back but he grabbed the front of my robes and punched me in the face. I felt my lip split open. I wiped the blood away.  
  
"First blood, you're going to get it now, Malfoy!" I dived at him tackling him to the ground. I kicked him in the side while he wrapped his hands in my hair and pulled. I yelped and struck out blindly, not even caring anymore. I felt rough hands pull us apart. I tried to get back, I watched as Draco did the same. We were both thirsty for the others blood.  
  
"What is wrong with you two?!" Hermione screamed furious.  
  
"He started it!" I was cut short by a lunge from Draco causing him to break free. Harry and Hermione wrapped their arms around him, holding him back once more. Ron kept a firm hold on me, not giving me any chance to break free. I would probably have bruises from Ron holding me so tightly as well as bruises from my fight with Draco.  
  
"You little lying," he was cut short by a firm tug from both Harry and Hermione.  
  
"Ron, let me go. I'm not going to attack him." He looked at me unbelievingly but released me. I shrugged his hands off and shook the dust off my robes. By this time Hagrid had made it down the hill.  
  
"What do you think you're doin'? Were you fightin', Malfoy?" he asked, peering intently at Draco who by this time had shoved Harry and Hermione off him. He then fixed his gaze on me.  
  
"We were not fighting. I fell down." I told him. Hagrid stared at me.  
  
"You were fightin', I can tell. I guess the ground just rolled up and gave you that black eye, Malfoy? And the ground gave you a split lip, Adri?" Draco touched his left eye slowly and winced.  
  
"I fell down, I don't know about Malfoy though." I smirked at him.  
  
"I don't care who started it. Both of you get a detention. Go up to the castle now and inform Filch. No if ands or buts, go." He pointed towards the castle and with heads bent we both slunk away.  
  
~*~  
  
Draco's point of view:  
  
It was so easy to provoke her. 'I didn't even realize I was doing it.' It was just an acquired habit for Draco it seemed. 'And here I was thinking I wouldn't cause trouble for Harry today. Instead I wound up hurting Adri instead. It was so exhilarating on the other hand. Fighting with Adri was different than fighting with Harry and Ron. They didn't snap so easily and when they do, they usually beat me up pretty soundly. Adri didn't fight to kill me, she fought just to vent some anger off.' Draco glanced over at her. She had her eyes trained on the ground infront of the toes of her boots.  
  
"Adri, listen,"  
  
"Don't talk to me, this is the first time that I can remember getting a detention." she said woefully. Draco bit back a retort and kept silent. "There goes my perfect record here."  
  
"It's not so bad, just don't let them find out next time you do something wrong." She looked up at him, appalled but then smiled despite herself. "Adri,"  
  
"Yes," 'Damn, she's making this so difficult.'  
  
"I just want you to know," another pause. "That you hit like a girl." 'Damn! That wasn't what I wanted to say!' He fell silent and kicked at a pebble on the path. He saw her gape at him from out of the corner of his eye.  
  
"I didn't want to damage you too badly, besides; I wouldn't call what you were doing hitting either, Malfoy. More like wrapping your hands in someone's hair and tugging." She fluffed her hair and tried to re-arrange it into some semblance of order, Draco still remembered the feel of her silky hair in his fingers and the weight of her on top of him. He mentally shut the door on that train of thought. "Hello, Draco?" he realized with a start she had said something to him.  
  
"What?" he answered waspishly.  
  
"If you're going to give me that attitude, forget it." he caught fragments of the rest of her mumbled sentence; idiot male, stuff his face in snow, and rot in hell. 'Nice vocabulary she has.' He thought wryly. Draco reached the main doors and slipped stealthy in, slamming the door in Adri's face. He took off at a run for Filch's office, not wanting Adri to catch up to him when he was alone. She wouldn't resist the temptation to attack him again, but if they were in the presence of a teacher…Draco snickered to himself, she wouldn't dare.  
  
~*~  
  
By the time I reached Filch's office I was successfully calmed down. If Draco wanted to be immature that was fine with me. Opening the door to Filch's office I was met with the sight of Draco magically spelled to the wall, upside-down. I placed a hand over her mouth stifling a laugh. Filch glared at me from over his desk.  
  
"Sit," he snapped. I complied and sat down in the uncomfortable wooden chair. I tried not to turn around and stare at Draco on the wall. 'I wonder why he isn't speaking. Maybe a silence spell?' "So you and Mr. Malfoy here were fighting I presume? Well answer me girl!" he spat.  
  
"We were. What is to be our punishment?"  
  
"You two, after Draco finishes his time learning his lesson, will report to McGonagall for punishment." I groaned inwardly. McGonagall was notorious for showing no favoritism and punishing all equally hard.  
  
"What is Draco getting punished for, if I may ask."  
  
"He was giving me attitude and threatened to tell his father about getting punished. So he must remain silent up there for a half-hour. And if he tells his father or anyone else about this I can think of much worse things to do to him." He smiled evilly showing all his yellow teeth. Glancing down at his watch he muttered, "Time's up, time to come down," He touched a button on his desk and Draco sagged to the floor. It appeared to be a magical device for Filch was a Squib. 'It must perform certain magical spells for him.' "Well run along you two and get your detentions!" I sped out of the room with Draco in my wake. As soon as the door was firmly closed I burst out laughing.  
  
"What's so funny?"  
  
"You," I was still laughing heartily, "you were hanging upside down so long your hair," yet another laughing fit, then I suddenly grew serious, "looks like you're a punk rocker. You have the spiked hair down pat. And your face is all red from the blood rushing to your head. Just so you know." Draco gave an almost inaudible squeak and his hands flew to his hair. By then I had turned around and was walking down the corridor. It took him a second to realize I was lying before he caught up to me.  
  
"Very funny," he said dryly. "What is a punk rocker anyway?"  
  
"A weird person from a muggle band, who wears leather, has spiked hair, and has numerous piercings." I smirked and we walked together in silence until we stood before McGonagall's closed door. I rapped on the door sharply, and not waiting for a reply, opened it wide. It crashed against the wall and I strode down the aisle with Draco in tow. I walked up to McGonagall from where she was standing at the front of the class.  
  
"We were directed here to pick up a detention from you. I would really appreciate it if you could give it to us really fast so we can get back to class. My grade is in question the longer I am away! And,"  
  
"Quit the theatrics Ms. Kaitou." she interjected sternly.  
  
"But I wasn't acting! I am sincerely worried about my grade!"  
  
"Enough. You both have disrupted my class. For this you will both get another detention on top of the one you already have." I opened my mouth to protest but Draco put a hand on my shoulder and I fell silent. Giving me a piercing look she continued, "You will both clean the un-used classrooms." Draco groaned but suppressed it when I stomped on his foot while McGonagall turned away to yell at a kid goofing off. Turning back around she went on to say what exactly we would be doing and for how long. We were instructed to report to her office at 6 o'clock that evening to carry out our detention. Slinking out of her office like whipped dogs we left her room in a hurry. As soon as the door was closed however, we both broke out in swears and oaths. Both in our own personal fits of anger, we stalked to the infirmary to get our injuries treated. Madam Pomfrey looked at us sadly and directed us to separate beds. She put up screens around us.  
  
"What are you doing?" demanded Draco from where he was sitting painfully.  
  
"I am putting these screens up so that you two are unable to torment each other."  
  
"They're not sound proof." Draco commented matter-of-factly.  
  
"Not at the moment they aren't. They will be soon if you keep on talking Mr. Malfoy." Draco wisely chose not to comment further. Turning to me she spoke, "Now I want you to lie down and get some rest. I'll heal you later after you've had a chance to sleep and heal on your own for awhile." I nodded and chucked off my shoes and sank gratefully into bed.  
  
"Oyasumi," I whispered softly to myself as an after thought as I fell asleep.  
  
~*~  
  
I looked down; a small child was tugging on the sleeve of my blouse. "What is it, what do you want?" I ask as they let their hands fall from my sleeve.  
  
"I want to go to the park with the fountain. The one with the mermaid fountain head! Please, cousin? Please?" he whines. Tears gather in his lucid blue eyes as he pleads. "I don't want to stay here anymore. Those people are mean." He points at a couple dressed in long, ebony, elegant dress robes. They looked aesthetically pleasing but their features were course and hard, as if they were shaped from a block of ice. My eyes lingered on them a moment and my lip curled up in disdain. I walked over to a more secluded spot with the child still attached to me. The spot was simply an uninhabited corner of the vast garden surrounding us.  
  
I realized with a start that I was not in control of this dream, but was merely an observer. I was just looking out through the eyes of who must be me. But the scene around me was unfamiliar and foreign. The child grasped onto my arm again and tried to lead me away towards a break in the hedge.  
  
"No," I heard myself proclaim softly to the child. "We must stay here. Uncle would be most disappointed in us if we dared leave right in the middle of this important meeting. You know what this meeting means to him and your father. You understand, right, Mikael?" Looking forlorn he nods. "Oh, don't fret. Soon these dreadful Death Eater meetings will be held at someone else's estate. I'll take you to the fountain later, okay?"  
  
"Do you promise?" he asks looking up at me with large, admiring eyes.  
  
"Yes, have I ever broken my promises?" He shakes his head and sniffing loudly composes himself. "There, that's a good boy, Mikael." I draw him close and hug him and pat his back trying to desperately make him feel a smidgen better. "This will all be over soon. Just think of it all as just a bad dream."  
  
The scene shifts and I find myself this time in a frigid living room. I'm seated on a worn yellow couch while a love seat and arm chairs stand guard. I have on a light blue dress, white apron and striped black and white tights. My shoes are a crisp and polished black. I sit tall and fold my hands in my lap, anticipating. Waiting for what, I do not know. However, a cloud of dread hangs over the room. The door bangs open and an irate man dashes in. I swivel to follow him with my eyes as he crosses the room in a few strides and collapses into a velvet green armchair. His brown hair is in disarray and his mustache is crooked as if he had been trying to tear it off by shear force. His black eyes were haunted, sunken into his skull, and great bags lay underneath his eyes. His clothing hangs off his skeletal form. He clasps his hands so hard together in his lap that the knuckles are turning white.  
  
"You must have guessed somewhat by now what I'm about to tell you." Glancing up to gauge my reaction he continues, "Voldemort has ordered that you be initiated into his ranks." I'm too shocked and I'm unable to speak, move or breathe for that matter. "The date is set for June fifth. I'm sorry but you must for the sake of the mission. One sacrifice for the good of the whole," I stare at the wall behind him. Not even daring to draw breath lest I shatter into a thousand pieces. "I realize that you are young yet, but by that date you must be fully prepared to take this course of action. You must understand that I have no choice in this matter." He says the last, a hint of pleading in his voice. "Darling, please," he reaches for my hands but I draw them back as quick as lightning.  
  
"Do. Not. Touch. Me." I say through clenched teeth.  
  
"You have to understand that we are in no way able to resist. It's a miracle that we've lasted this long. We need your co-operation in this darling." I shudder at the title. "Think of what will happen to your mother if you refuse." That was the last straw; I feel something inside me audibly snap.  
  
"How dare you?! What gives you the right to try and make me feel guilty about your decisions? You have no right to try and shoulder the guilt onto my shoulders! I have done nothing wrong! I have done everything in my power to try and help you and mother whenever possible! I even agreed to become engaged to a man I have never met, all for you and mother! I have given you everything, and this is how you repay me?! By turning me over to become a terrified puppet of the Dark Lord? To say that my life does not matter as long as the population as a whole survives?! Y-you," I fall silent unable to talk. My throat is tight and the lump in it is growing larger and larger. I sit there on the couch shaking in fury.  
  
"Darling, please believe that I have had your best intentions in mind, always! You are my daughter; I would never let anything awful happen to you!"  
  
"You're so full of shit! I hate you! You deserve to rot in hell for all you've done to mother and I! Twisting and manipulating, both of you. I hate you both! As of this moment I renounce all ties to you or anyone else in your horrid families. I am leaving and never coming back. If I ever so happen to see you again, I will kill you myself before the Dark Lord does!" I stand up and walk towards the door on unsteady legs that can barely hold me.  
  
"I'm afraid that I can't let you leave." I whirled around just in time to get hit with a spell and plunge to the floor, passed out cold.  
  
~*~  
  
I woke up to someone shaking me violently. "Stop it Adri, stop screaming! I mean it, stop it!" It took me a moment to realize that it is Draco shaking me. I closed my mouth; my throat was sore and raw. I looked up at him; there was stark naked fear in his eyes. "Don't scream like that," he said softly. As if just noticing what he was doing, he let go of me and backed up.  
  
"What happened?" I asked him hoarsely.  
  
"I woke to hear you screaming. I ran over and you were thrashing around in bed. It looked like you were having a seizure. But I don't think it's possible to scream while having a seizure." he added as an after thought.  
  
"I was having a nightmare, or perhaps a memory." I shrugged. "Sorry to bother you, Draco. What do we do now; I don't think either of us is going to be sleeping again tonight."  
  
"No idea. Madam Pomfrey went to go get Dumbledore as soon as she heard you scream. I'm sure that she'll be drugging us both up soon enough. So much for a normal night of un-disturbed sleep."  
  
"Oh yeah!" I hit myself on the forehead. Draco looked at me quizzically. "I forgot to take my potion! That must be why I'm having these dreams! I knew it!" I jumped out of bed and took off for the medicine cabinet. Draco followed reluctantly behind.  
  
"What do you take a potion for anyways?" Draco inquired suspiciously.  
  
"Um, to stop my memories from returning too quickly. Dumbledore says that that could be very harmful and dangerous. It also treats me for depression. You didn't think I was this happy all by myself did you?" Draco snorted in answer to that last part.  
  
"I had my suspicions."  
  
"Yeah right, now where does she keep them?"  
  
"Miss Kaitou, whatever are you doing?" asked a masculine voice from behind me. I whirled around, there was Dumbledore flanked by Madam Pomfrey.  
  
"I was looking for my potion. I must be getting these dreams because I didn't take it today."  
  
"So that's why you were screaming, because you didn't take the potion?" she asked sternly.  
  
"Sorry for deceiving you Madam Pomfrey, but I thought that if I stopped taking it I could remember what happened to me." I lied quickly. Draco shot me a look, deftly picking up on the signs that I was lying.  
  
"Miss Kaitou you should know better than that by now. I'm disappointed in you."  
  
"I'm sorry to cause you so much trouble Professor Dumbledore. I promise to take it from now on." I smiled slightly out of the corner of my mouth. Draco was the only one who saw and lifted an eye-brow in response. Dumbledore waved a hand at me in dismissal and he and Madam Pomfrey left us and made their way back to their respective quarters. "That was too easy." I muttered under my breath.  
  
"I agree."  
  
"What are we going to do now?"  
  
"Have some fun," I grinned evilly.  
  
~*~  
  
It was easy to elude Draco. I slipped from his side when we were walking around, trying to wear ourselves into exhaustion. Your regular pair of insomniacs out for a moonlight strole, however tonight was different. I could feel heat emitting from my skin as foreign thoughts bubbled up from my sub consciousness. When I felt it, I took off, fearing that my presence would endanger his life. 'It's too late, I'm free…'  
  
~*~  
  
She eased open the main doors of the school and slipped out into the snow. The bitter cold of the night seemed unable to pierce her skin, for she walked ahead proudly, chin up, facing the wind. She stepped daintily and with care, ever watchful. Her white hair was in stark contrast to her indigo eyes, which shone with an eerie light. Her pale skin and elongated nails and teeth made her quite a sight. But perhaps, the most astonishing and captivating sight was the ebony wings that sprouted from her back, and fanned out behind her.  
  
With a burst of strength she took off, heading for the forbidden forest. She touched down and at a run, folded her wings and hurled herself into the brush, away from prying eyes. She followed a narrow path, almost overgrown with weeds and creepers. She sniffed, and caught the sent of which she sought. She bent down by the uplifted roots of an ancient withered oak and dug and cut her way through until she uncovered a black rose. She smiled wickedly and plucked it, careful to keep her fingers away from the lengthy thorns.  
  
"Now all I need is the boy." she uttered softly to the rose, who in response seemed to grow as she held it in her grasp.  
  
~*~  
  
Adri's point of view:  
  
"I wonder who wrecked Filch's office. I mean, he's mean but who would go so far as to vandalize it?" Hermione asked. She shook her head in disgust.  
  
"No idea. I'm hungry, let's go have breakfast. Besides I'm sure we'll hear enough about this throughout the whole day. Why start now?"  
  
"You're right Adri. I wonder where Ron and Harry have disappeared to." Hermione scanned the crowd looking for them. "There they are, I see them!" she pointed them out to us and waved avidly. "Where have you guys been? We've been looking for you!"  
  
"Snape," said Ron pulling a face, "he pulled us over and accused us of destroying Filch's office."  
  
"That's totally unfair of him to single you two out! He has no evidence anyways!" I said outraged.  
  
"Relax, Adri," was all Harry said while we seated ourselves at the Gryffindor table.  
  
"Malfoy did it." I choked and Ginny thumped me on the back. "Are you alright Adri?" asked Ron hurriedly.  
  
"Yes, thanks. What makes you think Dra-Malfoy did it?"  
  
Ron looked at me for a second before answering. "He's the kind of person who would do such a thing." he said simply.  
  
"Oh. What do we have first today, Ron?" He glanced down at the schedule and made a face. "Divination for two whole periods."  
  
"I don't see how you can stand that class. You should switch out like me." Hermione said with an air of displeasure.  
  
"Is it really that bad?"  
  
"It's all based on guess work, nothing else. Besides the only thing she does is pick one person, usually Harry, and tell him he's going to die throughout the whole course."  
  
"I can only imagine what she'll do with me. I'm sure she'll have a field day. But no old, wannabe doomsday hag is going to tell me how I'm going to die." I stood up along with Ron and Harry and left in search of the North Tower.  
  
"I see we have a new student in our midst. Miss Kaitou, welcome. I hope this class will be able to un-cloud your inner eye and reveal to you the secrets of the inner self." Ron, Harry and I all stifled laughter behind our hands.  
  
"I can see her inner eye; it's that humongous pimple on her forehead isn't it?" Ron couldn't contain his laughter and Professor Trelawney swivelled around and glared at him.  
  
"Would you be so kind as to get out the Tarot Cards for your classmates?" Ron got up and did as he was told. He handed us the best deck which he had saved for last just for us.  
  
"The only reason I signed up for this class is to do this. I'll probably follow Hermione's example and switch out after we finish this section." I divulged to them.  
  
"I think I might join you. I had forgotten how annoying this class is." Ron replied in disgust.  
  
"Everyone, open your books to page 67 and review quickly what you were assigned to read over the summer." Trelawney ordered.  
  
"You guys review, I already went over it this morning before breakfast in the hospital wing." They nodded and I gazed down at the deck. I shuffled the cards with my left hand and split the deck. I set all the cards face down in their proper positions and waited for Ron and Harry to finish.  
  
"I see Ms. Kaitou appears to not need this time I gave you to review. She already has her deck cut and the cards arranged. Why don't all of you gather around and watch her give a demonstration? How about it, Ms. Kaitou?" I saw the trap she had laid for me to fall into at once. She either believed me to actually know what I was doing or that I thought that I was too good to bother to review. I was playing my money on the latter. "Well, go ahead." she coaxed. I took a deep breath and began.  
  
"The card in the place of highest power is," I flipped it over, "IL Giudizio, better known as Judgment." I flipped over the rest of the cards and then proceeded to name and translate them. "Recent past is La Giustizia- Justice. Situation is La Luota-Wheel of Fortune. Self is La Luna-The Moon, while Challenges/Opportunities is L'Amore-The Lovers. Near future is La Torre-The Tower." At this Professor Trelawney gasped,  
  
"The tower, oh you poor dear." she exclaimed and put a hand over her shaking mouth.  
  
"What does it mean?" Lavender asked in a hushed voice, in an excited tone.  
  
"It means destruction, meaning that most likely I will cause a disaster. It could be worse you know. As I was saying, Long-Term Potential is IL Monde-The World." Yet another gasp from the professor. I shot her a look and continued. "Advice is La Forza-Strength and Allies is IL Fusco-The Ace of Dragons. Blocks and Inhibitions is La Pazzo-The Fool. The last place is Foundation and it is IL Veggente-The Magician."  
  
"This can't be right," exclaimed Lavender glancing down at her textbook for reference. "The cards say that you will cause destruction! And only a fool, a person driven by their own motives stands in your way?!"  
  
"I'm afraid so my dear. Ms. Kaitou flip over the next card in the deck if you would."  
  
"IL Diavolo-The Devil." She gave a little wail and sat down heavily in an over stuffed, red armchair. "You may all go try this on your own. Ask Ms. Kaitou or I to come if you need help. I'll be fine in a few moments. Would you be so kind as to get me some tea, Lavender?" Lavender sped off to do her bidding. Ron and Harry sat down at the table with me.  
  
"What's so special about the devil card?" said Ron.  
  
"It influences the Self card. Hermione was right about one thing though, if the Professor doesn't find death she looks in other places. I am definitely switching classes after this section." I shivered. "She gives me the creeps."  
  
~*~  
  
By the time lunch arrived word had spread through the school that I, Adri Kaitou, was going to bring about some catastrophe. People looked at me with fear in their eyes, while others whispered behind their hands as I passed.  
  
"Don't worry Adri, this'll all blow over soon enough. Everyone will find something new to gossip about."  
  
"Yeah, I guess you're right Hermione. It could be worse. Pass me the salad please, Ron." He passed it to me wordlessly and went back to talking with Dean and some other Gryffindors I didn't know yet.  
  
"Potter, better watch out, otherwise your friend there will kill you before You-Know-Who does. Who knew Potter chose such good for nothing gits to be friends with? Such a character flaw can be deadly, Potter." Malfoy cat-called. I glanced over at Harry; he was clenching his jaw rather tightly, betraying how the words had stung him.  
  
"Sod off Malfoy." Ron growled.  
  
"Potter, do you always have your "friends" fight your battles for you?" he laughed haughtily and walked towards the main doors.  
  
"Malfoy!" I called to his re-treating back. He turned around slowly and looked me in the eyes. I fell silent. He turned back around, away from me, and continued to walk away. I sat back down and crossed my arms. "Why that little," Just then we were ordered to go back to class and the rest of my sentence went un-said.  
  
"We have History with Hufflepuff now. I'm glad we don't have any more classes with Slytherin today." Harry muttered.  
  
"Er, Harry, sorry to disappoint you and all but we have study with them later."  
  
"Oh boy, that should prove to be interesting." He rolled his eyes and I giggled at the look on his face at the prospect of having to spend an entire class with Malfoy's taunting.  
  
"Don't worry, we can always have Adri here attack him again. You know about that un-written code about not hitting girl's, right?" said Ron as he put an arm across Harry's shoulders and led him away. I smiled and followed behind them, with Hermione.  
  
~*~  
  
History was incredibly boring; I didn't see what Hermione liked about the class. She listened to everything that was said with rapt attention and an engrossed look on her face. I put my head in my arms and took a small nap. Harry poked me awake before the end of class and we all shuffled out. Ron, Harry, and Hermione chatted avidly while I just zoned out. I was extremely tired and that nap I had just taken didn't really help that much. I trudged into Study in the library. I sat down with the group near the back. We piled our bags and books on the table and waited for the supervising teacher to appear. Nearly-headless Nick floated in and addressed the class.  
  
"Since you are all in fifth year it is believed that you should all be able to conduct yourselves in a mature manner. Therefore minimal moderating will occur. But if you lose our trust than you will all be given detentions and you shall be closely watched. You do not want to loose your privileges so please behave. A teacher shall pop in every so often to check on you and Madam Pince is in her office. Now behave!" with that Nick floated back out. The class was silent for a moment but then burst into wild chatter.  
  
"I thought that this was a study," Hermione complained, "not a zoo!"  
  
"We could always use a silencing charm," I suggested.  
  
"Good idea," Hermione cast the spell around our table and the noise fell away and it was blessedly silent. Everyone broke open their books and started on their homework. Everything had been going fine until trouble started to brew. WHAP! Something sticky hit my cheek. I looked up to find Blaise smirking with a hollowed out pen in her hand. I wiped the spit ball off my face and went back to studying for History because I had slept through the class. WHAP! Ron was hit and soon after we were flooded with them as a group of Slytherins led a full fledged attack. I conjured up a spell wall to block them from hitting me. Hermione copied my example but Harry and Ron didn't notice. They grabbed for their wands but Hermione got them first.  
  
"Remember what Nick said?" she hissed angrily. They looked sheepish, but reluctantly cast spell shield for themselves. I sat down heavily, the energy required to maintain a spell wall was enormous and sucked you dry of all your energy. If you kept one up too long it would kill you.  
  
I stood up and hollered at them, "Enough! What are your problems? Some of us want to pass! Unlike some of you who have no hope of ever getting above a 50! Now let us study!" I dropped my shield, thoroughly exhausted. I sat back down and picked up my text book. The room was silent after my outburst, but just as suddenly, it came back to life with a roar.  
  
"Are you implying that I'm stupid, Gryffindor?" Blaise said in a hushed and furious tone of voice.  
  
"Of course. I'm amazed that you were able to make spit balls with a brain as small as yours is."  
  
"This time you've gone too far, you lowly Gryffindor!" she yelled.  
  
"Adri," Harry hissed in my ear, "you can't afford to get in any more trouble. You'll get kicked out for sure." I froze. He was right; I couldn't get kicked out for fighting in the first few days of the school year. Blaise advanced on me fists raised.  
  
"Blaise I don't have time to fight with you now. We'll settle this some other time. Say in Quidditch? Oh that's right, you can't play it well, can you? So we might as well not even try, since I'll win."  
  
"Fine, we'll set a date and finish this then." She went back to her table laughing.  
  
"What the heck did you just do?!"  
  
"Avoid a fight like you told me."  
  
"But challenge her to a Quidditch match? Blaise is very good at playing that, and you just learned yesterday! How do you expect to win? Besides, it'll be even worse if you lose!" Harry fumed.  
  
"Then I won't lose." I answered calmly.  
  
"How can you say that?!"  
  
"Trust me Harry, I'll beat her." I smirked.  
  
"Adri, you aren't going to cheat are you?" asked Hermione with a worried look on her face. I simply smiled at her and went back to reading.  
  
"Adri, tell me you're not going to cheat." Ron gasped.  
  
"You'll see," I said mysteriously.  
  
"Oh great," Ron muttered under his breath. The class eventually quieted down and there were no more skirmishes, for the moment.  
  
~*~  
  
"What are we supposed to be doing for detention again?" I asked Draco as we waited outside of McGonagall's office.  
  
"Cleaning un-used classrooms," he said. Just then McGonagall came out of her office, closed and locked the door behind her and ordered us to follow her. We stopped at Filch's office, which was now cleaned up, and got our supplies. We lugged the heavy buckets filled with water up innumerable flights of stairs. We finally stopped and McGonagall unlocked the door and led us in.  
  
"You will be locked in here until the room is cleaned to my satisfaction. You must clean this classroom and the one adjoining it. And no fighting!" With that McGonagall swept out of the room and locked the door behind her.  
  
"We had better get started. How do you want to do this? Should we both work separately or together on this?"  
  
"Together, it'll take less time," said Draco.  
  
"Fine with me. Well let's get scrubbing!" We worked together in silence for a while. "Say, Draco, is it true what they say about you and Harry being archenemies?" I asked tentatively.  
  
"Yes," he said tersely.  
  
"Why are you?"  
  
"What's it to you? It's our own business why we hate each other!" he spat, lashing out.  
  
"Harry doesn't hate you. I had asked him once why you guys were enemies, and he said he had no idea what so ever. He just said it seemed like you hated him with a passion. He still has no idea why."  
  
"He doesn't hate me?" Draco asked quietly.  
  
"No, should he?"  
  
"Yes, for everything I've done to him and his friends. He should hate me by now."  
  
"Well it looks to me like a one sided deal, Draco." I fell silent and went back to working leaving Draco to dwell on his own dark thoughts.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"Ah, I hardly have any time left to do my homework!" I complained to Hermione.  
  
"Well, just don't get in trouble and you won't have to worry about this again." Lights out was in about five minutes and I was hurriedly trying to do some of my homework.  
  
After I had finished my homework, I trudged upstairs. I found to my astonishment, a school owl perched on my chest with a letter tied to its leg. I gently untied the note and dug from my drawer a left over roll from dinner. The owl snapped out and seized it in its beak and flew out of the window. It was then that I gazed down at the note:  
  
Adri,  
  
We shall have our match to settle this argument once and for all this Friday at 6 o'clock on the pitch. You had better show, Gryffindor.  
  
1 Blaise  
  
I crumpled the note up and stuffed it into my pocket. "I best be going. I need as much sleep as I can get before Friday!"  
  
A/N: I know, I know, this chapter ending wasn't that great. However the next chapter will be slightly less boring than this one was. .  
  
Thanks to everyone who reviewed, I love you guys! (in order of review)  
  
Clepsydra Delphinus (I think you're right about the wrong word choice. Eccentric may have been too strong a word to use. I'm glad you're going to continue reading, I hope to bring myself up to your level soon!), Roxane (Yes, I have read the amber spyglass, simply love those books but the Harpies are not from there. Sadly, school assigned mythology is the cause. I'm glad you enjoyed this, and you're very perceptive about the eye changing. Do you think I should add Harpies into the story? Everyone seems so interested in them…), Miaka (Hey, thanks for reading. I had a lot of fun chatting with you, hope to talk with you soon! And yes, I think it was Morgana who told you), Ayla Pascal (thanks for the praise and for reviewing!).  
  
Please, I beg you, REVIEW. I need feedback, good and bad alike. Thanks for reading! ^.~  
  
Oh, and here's something worth checking out: http://hometown.aol.com/adelphie86/adelphieshogwartsschool.html  
  
It's Adelphie's and Cathyn's very own Hogwarts school community where me and some of my friends are enrolled. I like being part of the community there and it is a nice webysite to visit. Check it out if you'd like!  
  
~End of Chapter~ 


	4. Shirahime

Title: Shattered Dreams (04/?)  
  
Author name: Meri015  
  
Author email: Kagome014@yahoo.com  
  
Category: Mystery  
  
Sub Category: Action/Adventure  
  
Keywords: Trio Draco Original Character Shinma demons  
  
Rating: PG-13  
  
Summary: Adriana has been missing for years and only now has she come back to the wizarding world, with one catch, she has no memory. Brought to Hogwarts she is painstakingly regaining her memory. However her past is starting to catch up with her, for how long can she deny that she is a Shinma, a half demon, half god creature? With the aid of the brilliant Hermione and the famous Harry Potter and sidekick Ron, she is desperately trying to find out who she really is. It doesn't help that the Shinma part of her has a mind, and an agenda, all of her own and who has her sights set on one Draco Malfoy.  
  
DISCLAIMER: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. Kyuuketski Miyu characters are the property of their corresponding owners/designers.  
  
Author notes: As always thanks to my betas (fefi and adelphie) for their help. Slash is implied in certain parts, can't say you're not warned. So don't flame me saying I didn't warn you, it's your own fault for not reading the author's notes, not mine. Marcus Flint had to stay back yet again; he's just not very bright. (The quote used is from Tomodachi and written by Iwasato Yuuho and sung by Sakamoto Ma'aya.)  
  
~*~  
  
Fushigi na sekai sono hitomi ni utsushiteru you na sonna kigashita.  
  
Hanareba nare ni naru sukoshi mae ni tsugeta negai wasurenai de iru kara.  
  
Tooku temo anata ni maketaku ha nainda itsu made mo futari ha RAIBARU.  
  
I felt like our eyes reflect a wondrous world.  
  
I told you only a little while ago, even if we get torn apart, I won't forget our dreams, so  
  
even though I'm far away from you, I don't want to give up. Even though we've always been rivals.  
  
~*~  
  
"Meosamashide, Western Shinma." a voice whispered in my ear. I bolted upright, gasping for breath. I filled my lungs with blessed night air. I threw the covers off and raced for the bathroom. The air was chilly, but not enough to stop the fear-sweat from trickling steadily down my body. I looked at myself in the mirror. My black hair was slick with sweat, and it was sticking out at weird angles. White hair emitted from my temples and faded back to black. My eyes were a light purple and the irises were dilated. I looked at my hands; my nails were at least an inch long.  
  
"What is wrong with me?" I whispered. "I ache all over, especially my back." I tried to massage it, but it only intensified the pain. "Arg," my hands came back with red-black blood on them. I raced back to my bed and grabbed a towel and a bar of soap from my dresser. I glanced at the clock quickly, 5:52.  
  
I took a long shower and when I came out I was back to normal. No more pain or weird colored hair and eyes. I was back to being normal, well as normal as I ever got, being a witch and all. I pulled on an emerald colored lace up shirt and jeans. I also laced up flat-soled, leather boots. They were perfect for sneaking around in for they muffled sound. I packed my bag up and exited the portrait hole. The Fat Lady yelled at me for waking her up, but I had turned the corner by the time she had fully opened her eyes. I padded softly down the corridor trying to find a way to reach the kitchen. I was famished and I didn't believe I could wait until breakfast. However, it appeared that after walking aimlessly for ages that I would never find it so I gave up and made my way back to the dinning hall. I sat down and took out my homework that would be due later on in the week. I finished and still no one was down yet, so I opened my Defense against the Dark Arts textbook.  
  
"Hermione said that we are having Remus Lupin as our Professor in the Defense against the Dark Arts class. She said he was a werewolf, I wonder if that is true." I spent the rest of my time reading up on werewolves until Hermione hurried in. "I'm here, Hermione," I said glancing up.  
  
"What is with you and your disappearing act?! You're up to something, I just know it." Hermione panted.  
  
"I couldn't sleep so I went and tried to find the kitchen to get something to eat, but I couldn't find it. So I came down here to read and do some homework. I'm sorry if you think that." I gazed at her steadily and waited for her reply.  
  
"Fine, don't tell me." she said finally.  
  
"There is nothing to tell, really." I moved my books off the table and allowed her a place to sit.  
  
"For your sake, I hope you are not lying to me. So about that assignment for History…"  
  
Shortly, the room was roaring as chatter and laughter filled the hall. Soon enough a multitude of owls swooped down with the post. I watched as a snowy owl descended to perch on Draco's shoulder. He reached up and plucked the letter free from the ebony ribbon. He unfurled it with delicate fingers that deftly fed the owl from his breakfast plate while reading the letter. The owl, sensing he was finished, took off. I watched as Draco unclipped a suspiciously familiar ebony rose that was attached to his post. I suddenly was over taken by a violent urge to do something…vengeful. No words could describe the feeling, besides the emotions felt tainted in a way. Luckily it passed as quickly as it had come. When I looked up again, there was no evidence that Draco had ever been sent a rose. Something, I knew, which was not a good thing not to be known.  
  
~*~  
  
I entered the classroom with Hermione at my side. The class was quickly filing in. Everyone, including the Slytherins, seemed eager to get the class underway. They talked in hushed, excited whispers to each other.  
  
I overheard one student say to another, "I wonder if we have to battle Bogarts again this year. That was so scary having it turn into what you most fear! I had nightmares for weeks after about mummies!" I turned away. 'I wonder what I fear most in the world. Whatever it is, I'm sure it is something more terrifying than a mere mummy!' Suddenly the class fell silent as the professor rushed in carrying a brief case.  
  
"Sorry for being late. I had to get some last minute supplies and permission from Dumbledore first before I could do this lesson today." At this last comment, the class broke out in furious chatter about what the professor needed permission to do. "Silence please. Before we do anything can anyone tell me what they know concerning Shinma?" At this I froze. 'Shinma? I could not have heard correctly. Please, let it not be Shinma.' Hermione's hand shot up and Lupin called on her.  
  
"Shinma are demons who pray on humans and steal their souls."  
  
"Thank you Hermione for telling us that wonderful myth."  
  
"Myth, Professor?"  
  
"Yes, it is a common myth. Would you all take note of this; Shinma are not demons. They were not born in hell, and therefore do not live there. They are easily grouped with demons because of the fact that they are shape shifters. Very much like Animagi. They conceal themselves and pass as humans, but that is not their true form. No two Shinma look the same. They are like humans in that aspect."  
  
"Another common misconception is that Shinma pray on humans. This is not entirely true, but it has some fact in it. Most Shinma simply need humans for energy, and rarely will they corrupt or steal souls. Today, I have been given permission to show you photographs of known Shinma. I have gotten their permission to show them to you. First, I must stress that Shinma are human beings and should not be discriminated just because they are different. As some of you may know, Shinma in our community are hated and attempts have been made on their lives numerous times. So please keep an open mind. Now if you would follow me…" We followed Lupin out of the classroom and down the corridor to an un-used classroom. We were directed to sit on the floor as Lupin strode over to a piece of equipment.  
  
"What is that?" I hissed to Hermione.  
  
"An old film projector. It's a muggle invention." I nodded and we waited for Lupin to take up his lecture from where he had left off.  
  
"Now we shall watch a film on Shinma where you shall see their human and Shinma forms, I expect you all to take notes."  
  
~*~  
  
"That was enlightening! I feel sorry for Shinma, always being discriminated. Now I feel guilty about what I said earlier!"  
  
"Don't sweat it, Hermione. I'm sure the Shinma understand. What class do we have now?"  
  
"Herbology. Now where did Ron and Harry run off to?" she looked behind us at the empty classroom. I saw Ron walk by the doorway.  
  
"They're still in there I guess." We waited, and watched the doorway, hoping that they'd hurry up. I then saw Draco move into sight followed closely by Ron, fists raised. "They're fighting Malfoy!" I cried. I raced to the classroom, Hermione behind me. Ron had Draco on the ground and was brutally punching him in the stomach.  
  
"Ron Weasley, stop this instant!" Hermione ordered. Ron ignored her and went back to hitting Draco even harder, if that was possible. Harry just stood by, watching with a look of worry on his face. I sighed and dove into the fray. I grabbed Ron and tried to haul him off of Draco. I took a break and looked up. Hermione was talking hurriedly to Harry; it sounded to me as if she was giving him quite an earful. 'Must assume that I'll take care of them both. Figures.'  
  
I dived back in to try once more to stop them. I gasped as I was hit in the face with someone's elbow. The blow had connected with my nose and I felt blood dribbling from it. "Oh, that's it you two!" I whipped out my wand. "Veto Contactus!" The boys sprang apart and hit opposite walls. I was furious with them. "You idiots! Why the hell are you fighting?! And which one of you pathetic morons hit me?!" I shrieked. "Spill, or I'll force one of you to confess as to why you were fighting!"  
  
"I didn't do anything. He jumped me." Draco smirked at Ron who looked murderous.  
  
"Don't give me that crap, you filthy liar! Now one of you tell me the truth or you'll regret it. I'm itching to try out some new hexes and curses I read about. Now spill!" Hermione and Harry both looked at me, looks of shock mirrored on both their faces.  
  
"I-I started it." sputtered Ron.  
  
"Thank you for your honesty Ron. You're free to go." Ron got up and ran over to Hermione and Harry. "As for you Malfoy, I don't want to see you anywhere near Ron. You understand?" he nodded. "Get out of my sight." He too got up slowly, clutching his stomach and left the room. I sat down heavily. Hermione rushed to my side.  
  
"Never imagined you as the type to yell or threaten." commented Hermione.  
  
"I don't. I just lost it I guess." I started to shiver. "I-I've never hurt anyone before. I'm so sorry Ron. Did I hurt you with that spell?" I asked, tears prickling in my eyes. "I was just so worried and furious with you two."  
  
"Here, Adri," I felt someone pry my fingers away and press a handkerchief into my hand. I wiped away my blood. "Don't feel bad, I deserved it. We should go to lunch now, so come on." I stood up with Hermione at my side.  
  
"Is it because of," she trailed off.  
  
"Yes," I lied. 'Let her believe what she wants. I can't possibly tell her the real reason I got so livid. How could I explain to her that my other side was taking over?'  
  
~*~  
  
"Are you serious? Quiet Adri exploded?" Seamus asked Ginny.  
  
"Yeah, that's what Harry told me."  
  
"Where is Adri, Hermione, and Ron anyway?"  
  
"They went to get cleaned up by Hermione. I wonder who will fix Malfoy up? From what Harry told me, he got beat up pretty badly." Ginny giggled at the thought of Crabbe and Goyle attempting to heal Draco. Ginny glanced over at the Slytherin table. There sat Draco with what looked like a black eye blooming on his left eye and sporting a split lip as well. 'Way to go Ron!' she silently cheered. Ron sat down next to her and reached for a sandwich. "Where's Adri?"  
  
"She is up in the common room. She claims to feel guilty for hitting me with a spell to separate Malfoy and I." Ron said wistfully. Ginny made a face at him.  
  
"I don't see why she should feel bad. You could use some sense knocked into you." Ron playfully hit her in the arm.  
  
"Not funny Ginny."  
  
"Did you tell Adri the real reason why you were fighting?" asked Harry.  
  
"No, and I lied and good thing too. She wasn't very happy with one of the reasons I gave her of why I hit Malfoy. It seems like she is defending the git! She automatically took his side when I told her!"  
  
"I'm sure she was just angry that you attacked him over something as petty as what happened in study."  
  
"Doesn't it bother you, what was said about us?" he asked blushing.  
  
"No. It's not true, so why should it bother you?" responded Harry. Ron grimaced and looked away. Ginny sat watching the exchange in silence. 'Ron can be so thick sometimes, he never realizes his real motives behind his actions. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to read his emotions, as clear as day from his actions. And I wonder what he is lying about. What ever it is, it can't be good.' She sighed resignedly and went back to talking with Seamus and left Ron to his own problems.  
  
"Ron, being unfaithful so soon?" Fred yelled from down the table a ways. Ron's head snapped up from staring dejectedly at his plate to focus on Fred.  
  
"What did you just say?" he asked in a chilly voice. Fred froze, his mouth still open in shock. He had never heard Ron speak like that before in his life.  
  
"Give it up Ron, we know why Dumbledore called you up to his office." George said in place of his twin.  
  
Ron paled as Seamus asked, "What did he do?"  
  
"Well," George began teasingly, "Ron was caught snogging a girl in the Astronomy Tower." There were many cries of astonishment and surprise. Ron began to slide down his seat in embarrassment.  
  
"And now it seems he's flirting with Adri, what a faithful boyfriend!" Fred chimed in.  
  
"Leave off, Fred." Harry quietly said. Fred, at the tone of his voice, quieted down. 'Interesting indeed,' thought Ginny.  
  
~*~  
  
I walked beside Hermione, avoiding Ron's gaze. I still felt guilty for hurting him with that spell. Also for losing my temper and lashing out like that. It was embarrassing now to even glance at him. We arrived at the greenhouse for herbology with Hufflepuff. Professor Sprout instructed us in how to tend to some rather nasty looking vines. I tried to get Hermione to come work with me but Ron beat me to it.  
  
"Adri, would you help me with this vine?" Ron asked. I lowered my head and stared at the ground and gave a mumbled yes. I followed him over to a rather dejected looking vine in the corner of the house. "Listen Adri, you have to believe me. You should not be feeling guilty at all for what you thought you did wrong. You did the right thing, breaking up our fight like you did. I lose it whenever Malfoy is concerned, and I'm glad that you came along. So no hard feelings, okay? I got what I deserved." I sighed in relief.  
  
"If you say so. Now I believe that we had better get working on this vine before Sprout comes over. She won't be very happy to see us not working. Why don't you go get the supplies and I'll look up in the text book what exactly this plant is."  
  
"It's a fire vein. Very deadly if you get pricked by those thorns. It pumps poison into your blood stream. The result is you feel like you are getting burned alive from the inside."  
  
"Hello to you too, Jemson. Thank you for that very enlightening conversation. Now if you wouldn't mind, I must get back to reading up on this, fire vein was it?" I answered coldly. Ron took the chance to scamper off for supplies casting a look at Jemson as he passed.  
  
"Just wanted you to watch out. Not many people realize that the plant has retractable thorns until they are actually pricked by them. Wouldn't want you to get hurt."  
  
"Oh no, of course not, because my life means soo much to you. Now thank you Jemson." I said harshly. He raised his hands in a defensive gesture and walked away.  
  
"I was only trying to help," he said loftily. I shivered. I didn't like Jemson one bit. There was just that something about him. Maybe it was the predatory, feral look in his blue eyes. Or the way he always popped up whenever something nasty happened or just came by to add his two cents. Ron brought me out of my dark thoughts when he came back with the supplies in hand.  
  
"It was nice of him to warn us about the plant."  
  
"Yes, it was." I forced a smile. "Now why don't we get pruning?"  
  
We worked carefully for some time before I put down the gardening shears.  
  
"Think we've done all the pruning we can?" Ron asked after some time. "Yes, we should probably go get Professor Sprout to help us drain the poison." Ron followed me as we searched for Sprout; she was helping some Hufflepuffs when we walked over. "Professor Sprout? Would you supervise and help us drain the vine?"  
  
"Sure, just let me finish up with them first." We waited for her by our plant.  
  
"You think what Jemson said was true? About it being very deadly, possibly lethal?" I said nervously.  
  
"I think he was just pulling your leg. I mean Sprout wouldn't let us work with lethal plants, would she?"  
  
"I don't know, you tell me. You've known her longer than I have." As if on cue, Sprout appeared.  
  
"I couldn't help but over hear your conversation. And yes, it is true that fire veins are lethal. But since I will be supervising there should be no incidents. Weren't you listening at the beginning of class?" We both shifted from foot to foot. Each of us, it appeared, had been caught up in our own thoughts. "Well, pay attention next time, okay?" We nodded and watched as she showed us what to do. "Why don't you try Ron?" He walked up to the plant with dragon hide gloves on. He tickled the underside of a stem and watched as thorns appeared. Ron took the offered bucket and pressed the thorns against the side and let the venom slide in. He was on the sixth thorn when I saw something slide around his shoulders.  
  
"Adri, that's not funny." he said without looking behind him, still concentrating on the work at hand.  
  
"I'm not doing anything." I answered in a shaky voice. Ron looked at his shoulder. The vine had wrapped a tendril firmly around his shoulders.  
  
"Um, Professor, is it supposed to be doing this?" he asked, keeping his voice steady.  
  
"Well, usually they only do that to people they feel comfortable around. I've only known it to do this to two people; Professor Dumbledore and myself. It will not hurt you, just go back to draining it again." He did as she instructed and the vine only tightened it's grip and slide over more of him.  
  
"Professor,"  
  
"I shall try to remove it so just keep still." She placed her hands on one of the tendrils and tried to lift it away from him. It nudged her hand away and went back to hanging onto his arm.  
  
"Adriana, would you please take this bucket from me?" I took it from Ron's hands and backed away to a relatively safe distance from the plant. He put his palm up for the vine to crawl onto letting it travel up his arm and when it was settled he began to rub the main stem of the plant with his bare hands. It began to break free of its pot. "Professor Sprout, what should I do?"  
  
"I think the only way to get it off you is to re-pot it, otherwise I fear it won't let me go."  
  
"I think you're right. Adriana would you assist me? Ron would you gently coax it into this pot?" He nodded and stroked the main stem into the pot and let it wind off his arm. It took time but it eventually wound itself back into its new pot. "Well, class is over. Please read pages 612 to 710 for next Thursday and write an essay twelve inches in length on the reading, along with an open response on what you have witnessed and learned today." She yelled as the students filed out noisily. Harry and Hermione rushed over bursting with questions.  
  
"Adri will tell you all the details. I have to quickly go wash up. I'll meet you in study and tell Madam Pince I'll be late for class." Ron yelled as he ran off, ignoring our calls to come back. I took the chance to go back and retrieve the plant I had requested from Professor Sprout.  
  
~*~  
  
"Adri, what are you doing back here?" Shiina asked from perched atop the canopy of my bed.  
  
"What does it look like? I'm re-settling my plant." I answer nonchalantly.  
  
"I know that! But it doesn't look normal…"  
  
"It's a special rose bush that I bought from Professor Sprout. You'll just have to learn to live with it around, and if I were you I'd stay as far away from it as possible; it can be poisonous."  
  
"What?! No way am I living with a killer weed!" she cried indignantly.  
  
"Live with it. We'll talk about it later because I have to get to class now. Have fun!" I raced for the door after setting the plant down on my bedside table.  
  
"Hmf, figures she'd become attached to a killer weed. It would be just her style to attract beautiful, but deadly creatures." commented Shiina to herself before I closed the door.  
  
"How right you are, Shiina." I said under my breath as I leaned against the closed door.  
  
~*~  
  
"Snape is going to fry us! Harry, why did you have to help her? It wasn't your fault her bag split open!"  
  
"Adri, I just helped her, unlike cold, indifferent you. Besides, Snape will "fry" us for being late or for being early. So don't fret over it!"  
  
"I wonder where Ron had to go to so early this morning." commented Hermione pensively ignoring our argument.  
  
"I think he had to report to Dumbledore again. I saw him receive an owl last night, and I recognized it as a school owl. So it's most likely Dumbledore, I mean who else would use a school owl to send post?"  
  
"You're probably right," Hermione said as she pushed open the dungeon door. As soon as I walked in a sense of foreboding fell heavily upon me. It didn't take a Cassandra to prophesize that something bad would befall me in this room. I shivered. "Something wrong Adri?" I shook my head and Hermione walked to her seat.  
  
"Harry, where should I sit? Do you have assigned seats in here?"  
  
"We usually pick our seats and partners but sometimes Snape chooses them for us. So just find an empty seat." Harry walked over to a seat in the corner and placed his bag on the seat next to him. 'He must be waiting for Ron to join him.' Interpreting the signal, I sat down in the only other empty seat, next to the sniveling Neville.  
  
"'lo Adri." I stared at him coldly until he quivered and turned away, all thoughts of conversation forgotten. 'That's better. I can never think with him babbling on like he does.' I was about to break out my homework in transfiguration when Snape stormed in, banging the iron and wood door against the wall. He unceremoniously threw his bag on his desk and turned to face the class. The atmosphere had gotten drastically colder now that Snape's presence was felt. I stared at him; there was something about him that told me we had met before. However, the memory eluded me and I was left with an unexplainable sense of deja vu.  
  
"Hopefully today you bunch of spineless sissies will actually be able to concoct a semi-edible potion," he said as a way of greeting. "Longbottom," he let the name roll off his tongue languidly as Neville froze, and had a look on his face in the likeness of a deer caught in the headlights. "Name a potion that makes the drinker appear to be dead."  
  
"I-I-I don't know, Sir."  
  
"I-I-I don't know, Sir." mimicked Snape. "It was in the reading assigned to you over the summer break! Or did you slack off as usual and decide to just excuse yourself by saying, "I don't know, Sir?" Neville had scarlet and looked even more frightened. "Can anyone tell me what it is? How about you, Ms. Kaitou." he asked in the same silky voice.  
  
"It is called Draught of the Living Dead. It is most commonly associated with Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet where a Muggle used the potion to appear dead." Snape seemed to be in shock for a milli-second before he snapped to attention.  
  
"And what ingredients are in the draft?"  
  
"Asphodel in an infusion of wormwood. It is noted if too much is consumed it can be fatal."  
  
"Don't be smart with me."  
  
"Am I not correct?"  
  
"Ten points from Gryffindor for your insolence." I smirked. "What is so funny, Ms. Kaitou. Care to share it with the class?"  
  
"It just strikes me as ironic, this potion you chose."  
  
He raised an eyebrow. "How so?"  
  
"Well, what you assigned for us to read was all centered on the play Romeo and Juliet by the muggle writer William Shakespeare. The Draft of the Living Dead, different herb uses, how to treat wounds inflicted by swords or daggers with healing potions. It appears that you are a bit of a romantic." he gazed at me baffled once again. I continued to smirk.  
  
"Is she crazy, baiting the Potions Master like that?"  
  
"Are you sure the Sorting Hat didn't screw up?"  
  
"Never thought a Gryffindor would engage in a verbal battle with Snape!" and other such comments flew across the room.  
  
"However, this does not reflect on you, Professor. I looked up the curriculum requirements and it appears that you had no say in this matter. I was just wondering at your taste."  
  
"It seems you are quite knowledgeable in this area. Would you care to concoct us a Draught of the Living Dead to prove that you are not simply trying to inflate your own ego further than it already is. You will also be drinking your own potion, so keep in mind the consequences if you fail." It was now his turn to smirk. I turned to Hermione who was sitting closest to me. Her mouth was open in shock.  
  
"Hermione may I borrow some supplies from you, please?  
  
"Are you crazy?! Fighting with Snape!? If it was one of us he would have taken a hundred points away from Gryffindor!"  
  
"Don't worry Hermione. What's the worst that could happen?"  
  
"Famous last words," she muttered. I collected the ingredients and took them up to Snape who had pulled a desk out and placed a cauldron on top of it. For once the Slytherins and Gryffindors were silent, waiting anxiously in anticipation.  
  
"Begin," was all Snape said. He backed away with a smug smile on his face. 'You're wrong Hermione. He is punishing me more than taking away a hundred points from Gryffindor. He's going to force me to eat my own words.' I put the cauldron over the flame and measured out the required amount of water and sat and waited for the water to boil. When it did, I added the measured amount of asphodel and stirred it in. Then quickly threw in the wormwood. If they did not start to fuse together soon then my potion would surely fail. I waited in tense silence and stirred, praying that it would work. I stirred one last time, gave a silent prayer and said, "It is ready,"  
  
"Then by all means, prepare to drink it." Snape said from where he stood at my side, peering over my shoulder. "You know you brought this upon yourself, Adrianna." he whispered in my ear.  
  
"I know. But now I really know where I remember you from."  
  
"Was it worth the price you are going to pay?"  
  
"Yes,"  
  
"I hope you remember that as you feel your life force slipping away as you fully realize the price for what you have done." he backed away and addressed the class. "I want a space cleared and someone's robe laid out. Move it!" he barked. The Slytherins raced to do his bidding, sliding desks out of the way. No one was very eager to lay their cloak down. Finally Draco, exasperated, threw his down. I took the vial of potion in hand and awaited Snape's instructions  
  
"Now class, gather around as we watch to see if Ms. Kaitou brewed her potion correctly." I stood by Draco's cloak. "Well, what are you waiting for girl, drink!" I sat down, took a deep breath, and raised the vial to my lips. I drank the entire potion in one gulp and I felt it wind its way slowly down my throat. It tasted remotely of strawberries but left me with a bitter after taste, one that tasted remotely of regret. Or that is what I imagined regret would taste like. I felt as if little fingers were clawing at my eyelids forcing them closed. In the next second they flew open as I felt the cold seep through my entire body. I felt my eyes slip closed as I lost control of my body.  
  
I slid into someone's arms and thought, 'Who would have guessed I'd ever drink this again in my life? Funny, how I remember it now.' Those were the last fragments of thought I had before I felt my mind go blank.  
  
Echoes of surprise and fear resounded as the class watched as Adriana passed out. Draco had caught her as she fell and had his hand pressed against her throat, checking for a pulse.  
  
"You will find no pulse Mr. Malfoy. Weren't you paying attention during my lecture? The draught makes the drinker appear dead, meaning you will be unable to detect a pulse, or breath. If the potion was brewed properly she will awaken in 48 hours. If not, she will be in her grave at this time in two days." Draco looked at the Potion Master in shock, as did every other student. They had known him to be mean and cruel but he never went so far as to attempt to kill a student before. Snape stared back at them with eyes like steel, unflinching and ruthless. Ron sent daggers at Malfoy as he noted that he held Adri a little too close, not the way a Slytherin should be acting, especially Malfoy.  
  
"Malfoy, get your hands off her." Ron hissed. "Or do you forget what Adri said to you?" Malfoy eyed him for a moment then answered,  
  
"She can't hurt me if she's 'dead', weasel." he spat out the word dead and Ron stepped back, suddenly wary of Draco. Draco gave him a baleful look and stood up, Adri in his hands. "Professor Snape, with your permission I would like to take her to the hospital wing." Snape waved a hand in dismissal and went back to lecturing the class still standing around where Adri had lain. Draco noted that Ron had sidled next to Harry and the Mudblood and he was whispering in Harry's ear, still watching Draco out of the corner of his eye. "I'm not going to rape her, Weasley." Draco mouthed and smirked as Ron looked as if he was ready to come out and punch him again. Weasley didn't look too convinced to Draco, but he shrugged, it was not like Weasley would have the guts to stop him from taking her to the hospital wing. He was walking out of the classroom when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned around slowly to come face to face with Harry.  
  
"If you do anything to her, Malfoy…" he warned in a dangerous voice.  
  
"What is with you Gryffindor's and your little group protection? I'm not going to do anything to her! Besides, she's a Gryffindor and who would ever want to get involved with them?" Harry looked wounded and gazed at Draco with pensive eyes. "Harry," Draco began. But Harry had already turned his back on Draco and walked back into the classroom, closing the door in Draco's face. Draco struggled for a moment then turned away and began the long walk up to the Infirmary.  
  
~*~  
  
"Malfoy!" upon hearing his name, Draco spun around and saw Marcus Flint calling for him from the common room entrance.  
  
"What?" he snapped. Flint beckoned to follow him and with a sigh Draco walked over to him.  
  
"I heard about what happened in Potions." he commented after they had been walking awhile.  
  
Draco paused, "What's it to you, Flint?"  
  
"A Gryffindor, Malfoy. That's what's bothering me."  
  
"She should have been in Slytherin."  
  
"I know. I've been saying that that hat has been biased towards us Slytherins. I spelled a Hufflepuff's bag to split open today and the only people who were in the corridor were Potter, the Mudblood and Kaitou. I hid and watched. And get this, Kaitou refused to help Potter with the bag. She argued with him over it after he had fixed it. I thought Gryffindors were suppose to help people, not look down at them in disgust."  
  
"I've noticed it too. So are you saying you're making an exception to the rule?"  
  
"Perhaps,"  
  
"What's the catch Flint?"  
  
"You make sure you knock Potter off his broom the next time we play Gryffindor in a Quidditch match." Draco paled. He didn't let his emotions show on his face but Flint knew that his two sides were battling it out. "Which is more important to you Draco? I can help you or destroy you, and you know that, don't you?" Draco gave him a look of pure hate. Flint noticed that he had never looked at Potter like that, even when they were first years together. It made him a little nervous but Flint was a man of business. "What will it be, Draco? The girl who you obviously care for or your past?"  
  
"Adri," he spat and turned on his heel and stormed away. Flint smiled. 'Oh Draco, you're so easy to manipulate. And everyone gives you credit for being the best at it. If they only knew that you'd crack because of the pettiest thing-love.'  
  
~*~  
  
"You're not dead yet."  
  
"Heh, disappointed?" the Harpy asked sounding rather mournful.  
  
"No. I've come to ask what you foresaw for my future. I know you didn't make that comment based on nothing."  
  
"How do you know that I do not lie to you for sport?"  
  
"I know you, you wouldn't do that."  
  
"Child, you knew me for only a century. Did you ever stop to think about what I became in the rest?"  
  
"It passed through my mind at one point. However, I must know, what do you see for me?"  
  
"Death."  
  
"Of course, this body is only mortal. Now stop beating around the bush woman, and answer my question truthfully."  
  
"You might join our ranks soon."  
  
"It'll be that bad?"  
  
"Yes, your death will be no small matter. It will be enough to secure you a position as a harpy. If you have the strength, and the vengeance that is. And if, being the key word."  
  
"So my fate still holds me in its death grip?"  
  
"Sadly, yes."  
  
"I don't think I shall find him this time, the one who bestowed on me this blessing and this curse. If I do, I'll give him this fate of mine, an eye for an eye is only fair."  
  
"Oh, how I pity your lover."  
  
"Damare! He deserves no ones pity for what he did to me!"  
  
"He did what he did to save you. Why can't you see that?"  
  
"To save me? He made me what I am! He gave me this form and the fate attached with it!"  
  
"He gave you a body and a life, can't you be grateful wench?"  
  
"Never! Not until he says it."  
  
"Says what?"  
  
"Shut up!"  
  
The figure fled the scene; tears welling in her violet eyes as the creening of a Harpy filled the air.  
  
~*~  
  
A/N: You all best be happy. I wasn't going to add in that Harpy conversation, but I felt nice at the time I wrote it. So don't disappoint me by not reviewing. I'm so evil, ne? I also promise chp. 5 to be posted soon in compensation for how long it took to post this. Sound good? Glad to hear it.  
  
Foreign words translations:  
  
Meosamashide-Wake up, open your eyes, awaken  
  
Damare-shut up  
  
Western Shinma-Shinma from the west (America and/or Europe)  
  
Shiina-a name, pronounced she-na (na as in naughty) 


	5. Gin no yami silver darkness

Shattered Dreams (5/?) Author: Meri Email: kagome014@yahoo.com Category: Romance, action, mystery, Keywords: Trio Draco Ginny Original character Spoilers: All books Rating: PG-13 Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. Also Kyuuketski Miyu characters are the property of their corresponding owners/designers. A/N: I'm really really really sorry that this is so late in coming. Real life, laziness and volleyball have all kept me from getting around to cleaning this up when it has been written for months now. I'll find some way to make it up to you all.Anyway, as always thanks to my betas (Morgana, Fefi, and Adelphie) for their help. Slash is implied in certain parts, can't say you're not warned. Also how Adri addresses Snape is no coincidence, it is not written OOC for no reason. (Below is a poem composed by Maduin).  
  
Only you can break me down,  
  
make me cry,  
  
make me frown,  
  
make me wish a terrible fate,  
  
on to myself,  
  
bring me hate,  
  
cause me to smile,  
  
inspite of the pain,  
  
put my heart on trial.  
  
Only you look with disdain,  
  
Won't lie to me for simple gain,  
  
Will tell me everything,  
  
Though pain may be,  
  
All it will bring,  
  
Won't lie to protect,  
  
A life I've seemed to have already wrecked. ~*~ Draco was furious and walking around the castle for two hours had still not quelled his anger. 'How could you choose Adri over Harry? You don't even know her that well!' his inner voice quipped. 'Look what you did to Harry! And you know you'll sell out Adri once you tire of her too! They're just possessions to you, things to own and break at your will!' "So what if they are just toys?" he mused. "Hearing your conscience speak, Malfoy? Painful, isn't it?" taunted Blaise. "Blaise," "Thinking is a dangerous past-time, Draco. Why weren't you at our table in the library at 6? I waited for you for two hours! I hope you were fretting over missing our meeting, honey. " she said sweetly touching Draco's face. "Would you believe me if I said yes?" "It depends," she said coyly. "on what you do to make it up to me." "I'll help you train for your match with Kaitou. That way you can pound her into the ground." She gave him a quizzical look but then visibly brightened. "Well I'll see you at lunch, I have some business to take care of before then. After we'll go practice. Okay, love?" She squealed and placed a light kiss on his cheek before racing off. As soon she was out of eyesight Draco wiped his cheek and had the urge to spit. "She is only tolerated because she is a useful pawn." He grimaced, not fooling himself, and walked off in the opposite direction.  
  
"Hahaha, baka!" a little kid laughed. I opened my eyes to see Mikael peering down at me. "Who are you calling an idiot, Mikael?" "You. You fell asleep on the ground." He pulled at the collar of his suit, trying to loosen the tie. I looked down at myself; I was wearing a green dress with slits reaching to my thighs. I was barefoot and my sandals appeared to have been discarded some feet away. I looked up; vibrant colors lanced through the canopy of leaves above. "Mikael, why don't you go pick an apple?" I suggested. "Uncle will get mad," he answered scuffing his shoe in the dirt, not meeting my eyes. I sighed and stood up and strode over to the tree trunk. I proceeded to climb up as best I could in a dress. I finally came in reach of an apple, plucked it, and threw it down to Mikael who caught it deftly. "Mikael, catch this one too!" I threw another down and it landed right at the feet of a stranger. "Shouldn't you be at the reception?" the stranger asked in a cool voice. "I could say the same for you." I retorted as I swung down and landed in the grass. Mikael tugged at my dress, and said, "Who's that?" "I have no idea. Probably one of Uncle's guests." I shrugged and turned back to address the stranger and found him sitting, eating my apple. "Was this yours?" was all he said as he took another bite. "Give it back!" I ordered. He offered me the half-eaten apple. He stared at me, daring me to take it. I grabbed it from him and took a large mouthful, all the while watching his face for a reaction. He gave none, but simply watched me eat the apple. "Are you finished?" was all he said. "Quite," I said as I threw the apple core at him. "Mikael," I called and he came racing over and grabbed my hand. We were on the edge of the orchard when he called back, "You forgot your sandals." He held them dangling from his fingers. I dropped Mikael's hand and stormed back and grabbed them from him. "No thank you?" He smirked. I was silent and turned my back to him. I re-joined Mikael. "Come, we had best wash up and sneak into the reception." I took his hand again and was walking away when he called out once more, "I guess I'll be seeing you around, fiancé." I whipped around to try and see his face but gray was already seeping in. My vision was growing fuzzy as harsh reality descended.  
  
I sat up to look into the startled faces of the trio. They were gathered around my bed along with the entire potions class. "You're alive," Ron said airily. "Of course," came my own clipped reply. "And why is the potions class in the hospital wing watching me?" "To see if you failed, Ms. Kaitou," said Snape from behind me. "You never fail to try and make a dramatic entrance, do you Professor?" "It was so much nicer when you were asleep, the blessed quiet was such a nice change compared to your grating voice." "Only you would find it so." I pulled back the covers and stood up, trying to stay prone. Ron reached out an arm to steady me. I nodded my thanks and walked to the door and turned. "Show's over." I turned back and left them all in stunned silence.  
  
"It's okay Ron, I can walk fine on my own." I said after we had been walking for a while. He gave me a look as if to say "very funny". I sighed and continued with him supporting me. "So, what happened while I slept?" "It's the weekend, so nothing special. Although, weren't you going to practice with Harry to prepare for the match with Zabini?" "Shoot, I forgot all about that! I should go practice. Come on, you'll teach me in his place." I said as I ran down the hall in a burst of energy, Ron still hanging on to me. "Me?" "No, the statue over there. Go grab your broom and ask one of your brothers if I can borrow theirs again. I'm going to go change." Ron let me go and we went and met back in the common room soon after. "Adri, I was thinking. I believe that Slytherin signed up for use of the pitch today." "We'll kick 'em out. At the moment I really don't care who's out there, I have to practice! Well, come on!"  
  
We flopped down at dinner, thoroughly exhausted. "Where have you two been all day?" inquired Hermione. "I was teaching her Quidditch." Ron said breathlessly. Hermione turned to me. "Honest," "Fine with me. Hermione, can you help me with this problem?" Harry interjected drawing Hermione's attention away from Ron and I. "That was close," Ron said. I nodded and dug into dinner.  
  
"It is that time again, potions class." "We're doing truth serums though. That could be interesting." Ron added. "Weak forms of veritas-serum." Hermione corrected. "It is Friday too, Adri's big match today. It was a secret but now the whole school knows about it." Harry commented. "Aw, then I can't cheat as easily, darn." "Adri! You were planning on cheating!" Hermione demanded outraged. "Only a little." "Adri!" was all she was able to say before Malfoy walked over. "Oh, if it isn't the little baby Gryffindor. Afraid to face Zabini?" he sneered. "No, I'll beat her at her own game." "You won't be able to win, even if you do attempt miserably to cheat." "Somehow your empty words mean little to me. Go harass someone else, Malfoy. I don't feel like beating you up at the moment." "As if you could." "I did a pretty good job of it in Magical Creatures class." Malfoy looked ticked but I turned away and pranced into the classroom. I took my seat beside Pansy and Snape sauntered in shortly. "Today we will be concocting weak forms of veritas-serum. Can anyone tell me the ingredients you will be using?" he rambled on for quite some time before he ordered us to get to work. 'I just had to sit next to Pansy, didn't I? I would have been much safer if I had sat next to Goyle rather than this peas for brains thing everyone calls Pansy.' "Shall I get the ingredients out?" I asked her sweetly, all the while smiling at her. She giggled and told me to do whatever I wanted as long as I didn't disturb her. I sat there, trying to contain my anger. After counting to one hundred three times I was calm enough to get to work. By then half the class was close to completion and I hadn't even set up the cauldron. 'Ooo Pansy is going to regret this.' I quickly began chopping up ingredients and throwing them in the cauldron. I finally completed the potion and sat back, letting it boil. I observed Snape survey the class, searching for a victim. His eyes rested on me but then slid off to focus on Malfoy. "Malfoy, is your potion complete?" "Yes, it was so easy to whip up. Honestly Professor, can't you challenge us more?" he drawled lazily. "I'm afraid that if I did the whole class, except for a certain few, would fail. Dumbledore just wouldn't allow that, now would he?" He turned away from Draco and looked over the class. "Time's up." he announced merrily, with a wide smirk on his face. A chorus of groans and cries of outrage could be heard before he hissed menacingly and silence was once again established. "Potter, care to taste your potion?" he asked, sending daggers in Harry's direction with his glacial stare. "Our potion is not complete," Snape was about to comment when Ron beat him to it. "But I'm sure Malfoy's is finished." Ron smiled saucily at Malfoy as he watched horror cross the other boy's face. "Well Malfoy, measure some out. Come on boy, are you daft?" Draco's cheeks flushed lightly, high in his cheekbones, but faded as he straightened up, handing the cup to the Professor. "Gather 'round as Malfoy demonstrates to you dense children the powers of this truth serum." Draco was seated in a chair facing the class and gulped down the potion, no emotion apparent on his flawless face. Slowly his eyes became glazed over and his head began to tilt to one side. Snape waved his hand in front of Draco's eyes and got no response. "The potion is working. Who would like to question him? Remember, nothing besides a yes or a no question can be asked and no lewd or degrading ones either." I glanced at Ron, a large smile plastered on his face. 'Ron's up to something.I wonder what he plans to do?' Hands shot up as each student went up and asked a question of Draco. He answered automatically with a disturbing lack of emotion, and no matter what he said it seemed to have no effect on him. Finally it was Ron's turn and as he walked past my seat I snagged hold of the hem of his robe. "Ron, remember that Snape will fry you." I rasped harshly. Ron looked taken back, but the smile returned to his face and I let his robe drop. He walked up to Draco and stared him in the face. "Malfoy, who is it that you lust after?" the class gasped in surprise and some delight at Ron's question. "Ha-," Snape covered Draco's mouth before he could finish. Ron went chalk white and stepped back from Malfoy. But the rest of the class was not watching Ron, they were making disgruntled sounds at the Potion Master's intervention.  
  
I stood alone in the locker room, stretching on the floor. "One, two, three," I counted as I stretched out my leg. I looked up at the clock, five more minutes until I had to go out and face her. I considered myself a calm and confident person, but this pressure was stripping away my mask, revealing my true self for the entire world to see. I was a coward. I was panicking; I had no desire to leave the room, ever. I finished the stretch and started the routine all over again. Repetition was keeping the panic at bay, but how long could I do so? I heard a scuttle and snapped my head up to focus on the source of the sound. "Shiina," "Coward," I blanched at the truth in her statement, "if you can't face her down, how the hell are you going to stand up to the truth?" "You know not what you speak of." "Get your gear on and get yourself out there. Do you want to prove to everyone what I already know?" I growled at her in response and striped off my school robes and donned all black. "Trying to trick everyone into believing you're an archangel? I'm not convinced." "Haha, very funny, but no. I'm trying to not show favor by dressing in a non-house color." Shiina sighed in exasperation. "Black is also a color of mourning you know." With that I stormed out the door, leaving Shiina sputtering behind me.  
  
"So you finally decide to show, Gryffindor?" Blaise taunted. She was decked in her house colors and she stared disdainfully at me. "Why aren't you wearing your house colors, however ugly they may be? I'm sure your friends are disappointed in you." "I have no friends, they're all dead." "What, you killed them all?" "Yes," Blaise glared at me, not believing a word. I smiled slyly at her and turned to watch a Hufflepuff walk towards us. It was Laura Madley and she would be refereeing. "Using the Quaffle you are to score up to fifty points to win the match. Using the central hoop, depending on who has possession, you are to attempt to score while the other will try to block and re-take possession of the Quaffle. Bludgers will also be released to challenge you further. Now shake hands and good luck to you both." Blaise gave me a wary look before stepping forward. I held out my hand, we shook but dropped the others as if branded. She threw me a glance before straddling her broom, waiting for the match to begin. "Mount your brooms, please." She gave a short trill on her whistle and we took off. The thrill of speed and the wind surrounding me banished all thoughts of fear. The Quaffle was thrown in and the Bludgers released. Blaise raced for it and caught it in her outstretched hands and headed towards the hoop. I pointed my broom down at an 80-degree angle, trying to get low enough so I could go up underneath her. I put on a burst of speed but over shot and zoomed right past her. Blaise scored. She shook her fist in the air in triumph. I gained possession of the Quaffle. She floated in front of the hoop, waiting for me to make my move.  
  
Kaitou was a poor flyer; she could see that now. 'She has no natural grace on the ground or in the air. Pathetic really. This will be all too easy.' She watched as Kaitou's eyes flickered from side to side, as she tried to make a decision. Her features became still, as she suddenly zoomed forward, coming straight at Blaise. Blaise hovered there, not un-nerved in the least. 'What is this, a game of chicken? She thinks I'll move for her? She had better think again.'  
  
I came at Blaise, hoping to scare her into moving aside. I got closer and closer and closer. So close I could see the beads of sweat gathering on her forehead and the way her knuckles were white from gripping the broom handle so tightly. I tried to lower myself even further down on the broom handle to reduce air resistant and increase speed. We were three meters apart when Blaise threw herself to the side, barely getting hit. I scored as a cheer rose up from the crowd. All this had happened in a matter of seconds, but it had seemed as if I had been flying towards her through water. I sat there, trembling. I had gotten lucky. If she had moved a second later.I shuddered at the thought. 'She would have impaled herself on my broom.' the darker side of my mind offered. 'You could have killed her, more blood on your hands. You look so beautiful covered in crimson blood.' WHAM! I cried out as a searing pain spread through my stomach. I doubled over in pain, clasping my arms to my chest. I swallowed, and clamped my mouth shut, so as not to let any more moans escape. "Seems you forgot about the Bludgers, Kaitou. Idiot." I looked up at her through my hair that was now covering my face. I sat up and looked down my nose at her and muttered forcefully, "Who cares, we play." "You're too injured to play," she pointed out. I wiped at the stream of warm blood trickling out of my mouth. She turned her back on me and began to descend towards the ground. "Coward." Blaise turned back to face me slowly, rage evident on her face. "What did you just call me?" she said in a low voice, trying to contain her rage. "You're a coward. You're running away with your tail between your legs like a whipped dog. Face it, you're too weak." She roared in rage and lashed out at me, but by then I had swung to the side and she sailed past me. "You're going to pay for that comment, Kaitou. You're going to pay dearly." "Oh I'm so scared, I think I'm going to wet my pants." I sneered and zoomed past, while snatching the Quaffle from her grasp. She growled in frustration and tore after me. I swirled to miss an oncoming Bludger and sped towards the goal. I summersaulted over the handle of my broom and let the Quaffle fall as I reached up to grip the broom. I hung there, suspended, as Blaise, laughing took the Quaffle and proceeded to score. 'She hung onto the back of my broom and pulled on it, causing me to lose my balance. What a cheap shot!' I thought in outrage at the unfairness of it all. I swung back and forth, gaining momentum, and flipped back onto the broom. Blaise threw me the Quaffle and I caught it with a tiny oof as it hit my sore stomach. She smirked and positioned herself in the vicinity of the goal post, keen and alert.  
  
"Adri isn't doing too good," Harry commented as he peered through his Omnioculars. "That's an understatement." Hermione sighed deeply, "Could this get any worse?" Harry and Ron turned to stare at her. "I know, I know, famous last words." "Well I hope Zabini wins. Would serve Kaitou right, the stuck up snob." "That sounds.weird, coming from you Neville. You're usually so accepting of others." said Ron. "Well not her, she is so hateful. Besides, she gives me the creeps." "What do you mean?" Hermione asked, rounding on Neville. "Like, she, er, well it's like she's an asp. Always watching and waiting for the moment you lower your guard and then that is the moment she strikes." They burst out laughing as Neville sputtered indignantly. "Oh Neville, is that all? I thought you were serious! I mean come on, Adri, something else?" Hermione said, covering up the fact that she actually agreed with him. She gave Harry a look and he simply nodded in response. They turned back to where Ron and Neville were talking about what Snape would look like donned in a dress and boots, all sinister thoughts forgotten, for the moment.  
  
Draco watched with a disguised look of amusement on his face. Kaitou was doing horribly. He had expected a tiny bit more skill from her, but it appeared to him that he had greatly overestimated her. 'A shame really, all brag and no truth to her. Not a very good quality in a woman.' A cheer went up as Kaitou scored but just as quickly Blaise scored another. Draco remained seated with his arms crossed as his housemates stood and cheered for her. "Draco, why aren't you cheering? She scored." Crabbe commented dully. "You wouldn't understand even if I explained it to you." Draco commented his voice dripping with disdain. Crabbe grunted in way of an answer and turned back to the game. Draco continued to watch, trying to keep his mind off the elusive vision that even now plagued him, demanding to be seen; the vision of a woman offering him a black rose.  
  
"Come on Kaitou is that all you can do?" Blaise taunted. I smiled in response, for after all, the Quaffle was in my possession. "Heh," was all I said before pushing her with all my might to the side. In the time it took her to re-orientate herself I had scored. "We're even now. One cheap shot for another, I can give as good as I get." I said snidely. "You're getting desperate now, Kaitou. Finally realized there is no way you can possibly win? You're rather thick if it took you this long to figure it out. Come on, even a Hufflepuff could figure it out sooner than you could." "You dare compare me with one of them?" "Oh, I dare." I eased my broom to the left and just as quickly she was facing me. 'She's extremely fast but she watches me, not my broom. This could be to my advantage.' I stood still and used my legs to guide the broom. She didn't react quick enough for by not moving my upper body I didn't give away which directing I was going. With precious few seconds I was able to maneuver past her and slam the Quaffle through the hoop. "Who's losing now, Zabini?" She laughed, throwing her head back as she did so. "You're so typical. Only a Gryffindor would say that. I'm serious now, playtime is over." She snickered softly to herself and taking the Quaffle deftly slid past me and scored. 'She moved so fast! I couldn't see her! What is going on? I could watch her perfectly before!' "At a loss for words, are we?" she taunted. "We're even now, next goal wins. You might as well bring out your tissues now; you're going to be crying for days." "I wouldn't bet on it, I don't cry, no tear ducts, you see?" "That's it, let's finish this." she said with distaste. "Fine," We met in the middle of the field and lined our broom sticks up so handle tip touched handle tip. "On the count of three." We both tensed, getting ready for the moment that I would release the ball into the air. "One," "Two," "Three,"  
  
"GOAL!"  
  
I heaved a tired sigh; I was tired of reflecting on the past events of the day, mostly the quidditch match. I ached from the intense feeling of disappointment that accompanies failure. I had lost, and lost to Zabini at that. Most people in my position would possibly feel anger, a crushing sense of failure, resentment, the list goes on and on. I however, felt nothing, as always. I sighed and sunk deeper into the bath. "Trying to drown yourself in despair?" "Shut up, Shiina. If I'm going to die, I'm not going to in a bathtub. It's not dramatic enough." Shiina had by this time, plopped herself down on the mat by the bath and sat there, looking up at me. "So you're saying you'll leave the bath first and then go kill yourself?" "Why are you stuck on thinking that I have plans in ending my life over a stupid match?" "Hmm, lets see, probably because you've been in here for two hours! You're moping, admit it!" "I am not moping, I am simply relaxing." "That's what they all say." "I feel a headache coming on." "Just trying to make sure you're not dying anytime soon, I wouldn't want my plans screwed up all because of you." "Oh, how thoughtful of you Shiina." I splashed a good amount of water on her as an after thought. "Hey!" she shook out her fur and looked at me with pity. "Adri, remind me to stop looking out for you next time." "Why are you looking after me anyway, Shiina?" She looked startled for a moment but resettled herself on a dry portion of the mat before answering, "I won't lie to you, its because the Kanshishaa instructed me to keep watch over you." "The Kanshishaa!? You work for her?!" "I did. She has been..preoccupied, so she left me in charge of watching Reiha." "Reiha would be, who?" "Reiha is your mother." There was complete silence in the room. "My mother? And you never told me!" "You never asked. But that behind us, Reiha left Japan and so I was sent after her. Other.circumstances, came up so now I look after you." "Other circumstances meaning her death, right?" "Yes, among others. I'll tell you all of it someday, I just don't think it wise to tell you too much at once, the results could be potentially harmful." "Then do not speak of my past, just tell me about the Kanshishaa. What is she like?" "The Guardian, huh? Well, last I heard of her she was still in Japan returning Shinma to where they belong, the darkness. Larva is still by her side, even after all these years." "Isn't Larva a Shinma too?" "Yes, but he and the Guardian are bound together. Anyway, I don't believe the Kanshishaa will have any reason to pay you a visit here just yet. There are many Shinma still lose in Japan." "Oh thanks ever so much, that is just so reassuring. Yeah, I just can't wait for her to come later on and decide to kill me. Wonderful Shiina." "She won't kill you, she'll just return you to where you came from." "That would be killing me. Shiina, I've done some research on my own, I know my mother was a Shinma and my father a human wizard. I would burn to death if she tried to return me. Besides, I belong here." "Shinma, even children of them and a human, are still considered Shinma and must be taken care of." "Are you saying I'm damned if I do and damned if I don't?" "Pretty much." "I'll have to think on this, there has to be some loop hole." I was interrupted by a resounding bang on the bathroom door. "Adri! Are you still in there?" Hermione hollered through the thick door. "Yes!" "Well hurry up and get out! You're lucky you were able to use the prefects bathroom in the first place, you're pushing it by staying in there so long." In a quiet voice, "Is everything okay? "Everything is peachy, I'll be out in a few'." "Okay, if you're sure." "I am." I heard Hermione's footsteps fade away and I sighed. "Best be going Shiina." "I'll talk to you later, you can count on it." With that brief farewell Shiina faded into the shadows and was gone, leaving me all alone with my thoughts.  
  
I flicked the bubble off my cheek and went back to scrubbing the floor. Malfoy and I had been working off our detention for an hour now, and had not spoken once. The silence was soothing and was doing wonders for my tortured mind. 'I finally have a name for her, Reiha. My mother, finally after all this time. That name, there's something about it I need to remember. Something important, just, what is it? When I heard her name, I thought that something was missing. I know something is missing, someone or something, that she never went anywhere without. Matsu.' "Watch it!" Draco spat. I lost the tendril of memory and collapsed on the stone floor and angrily smacked my fists against it. "You," my voice quivered in anger. "Get your face off the floor, I just washed over there." "I almost remembered something extremely important and you just had to go ahead and say something, kisama!" I pushed him roughly to the side and he hit the bucket and it spilled all over him and the newly cleaned floor. "Look what you did!." He pointed an accusing finger at me and then at the offending bucket of filthy water. "If you hadn't said anything then this never would have happened in the first place!" "You got in my way." he answered coldly. "Whatever, we now have to re-wash that whole portion of the floor." Thanks to you." I uttered under my breath. "What did you just say, Kaitou?" he hissed menacingly. "Nothing, let's get started on this mess. Which was all your fault." I said once more. "I know what you're saying, and it is most definitely not my fault!" I threw the sponge in his face. "Shut up and get back to scrubbing. I want to get out of here before ten at the latest." Malfoy was silent as the sponge slid down his face. I turned my back and began to scrub the floor with his sponge. It was then that the other bucket of filthy water was upended over my head. I looked up at him, at a loss for words. All I saw was his retreating back as he closed the classroom door behind him. ~*~ "What happened?" Hermione demanded upon me stumbling into the common room. "Detention with Draco Malfoy is what happened." "Go clean yourself up and come back down here, we need to talk." I nodded and trudged into the girl's bathroom. I grabbed a towel and began to dry my hair. I walked back out into the common room. Hermione had her legs curled under her as she sat gazing into the fire grate. I sat down in an empty chair, hair wrapped in the now soggy towel. She slowly turned to face me. "Lately I feel you've been getting the wrong impression of how things are around here. You act as if you are above the rules, as if just because you are new you can flaunt them. I don't think you're aware of how many Gryffindor's despise you and find you insufferably arrogant. If you're not careful you might run into.mishaps. I'm trying to warn you Adri; you've upset people who do not easily hate others. I've heard things, seen things, just be careful all right? Most Gryffindor's won't be as forgiving as I am." She stood up and stood by my side, facing away from the fire. "Goodnight," She walked off, leaving me there by the fire with many a disturbing thought.  
  
She glided down the eerily silent halls immersed in brilliant silver light. A heavy cloak was draped around her lithe form. Tentatively she drew close to one of the towering windows that spanned the corridor in which she was passing through on her nightly walk. With a captious eye she scanned the school grounds before she allowed her weary body to sit neatly on the window seat. Snow was falling lightly over the scene that would appear in any fairy tale: quiet grounds, falling snow and somewhere a little lost princess. She herself was far removed in any way from anything that could be termed as 'being a princess'. She contented herself with watching the snow fall as the rest of the castle slept.  
  
"Shirahime is crying." She looked down at her clasped hands as homesickness washed over her in nauseating waves.  
  
"Who is Shirahime?" As quick as flame feasting on oil, her head snapped up and her gaze fell on an inquisitive first year Gryffindor. The child looked at her in amazement as he realized that she was no normal student.  
  
"Shirahime is a goddess of the snow. It is said that whenever snow falls like this," she gestured to the Hogwarts grounds, "that Shirahime is crying. But everyone knows that it is really human children that call the snows. Lets say we have a blizzard." She grinned wickedly at the child who still held his ground. With that she bolted upright and started for the child at a run, laughing in glee. By now the child had enough sense to turn tail and run away from her. "Come on, I want to see you cry, cry for me human child!" The child stopped in his tracks and turned to face her. His face was serene and held none of its previous fear. "I will cry for you, you didn't have to try and scare me into cryin'." She smiled and patted him on the head. "You don't have to cry for me as long as you make me a promise." "What promise?" "That you will help me whenever I am in need." The child nodded. "Pinky swear?" "Pinky swear." answered the child, a tone of laughter in his tiny voice. The child yawned and used one hand to rub at his eyes. "You must be tired, here let me help you." She whispered a spell before he could respond and she caught him easily in her arms. She picked him up and was surprised at his lack of weight. 'He must have been trying to resist my summons all week, but he caved in this night.' She smiled again and started the long walk back to Gryffindor tower, but not before out of the corner of her eye, she glimpsed a face drawn back into the folds of a curtain.  
  
"Adri wake up! We're going to be late to breakfast because of you!" I flopped over onto my stomach and quickly shoved the pillow over my head to try and drown out the annoying voice. Suddenly deft hands ripped all the covers off me and took away my pillow. "Get up!" she hollered into my ear. I groaned and rolled out of bed onto the stone floor with a thump. I slowly got up from the seemingly inviting floor and looked up into the livid face of Lavender. "I'm sorry, go ahead without me." I waved her away with one hand as I shuffled towards my chest. "You know it's my turn to get everyone up, but if you don't want to eat breakfast then be my guest." She spun on her heel and left. I dug through my chest, trying to find a suitable shirt. I pulled out am ebony hued one and tugged it on. I then proceeded to lace up the sides with leather thongs.  
  
"Need some help?" "I thought you left." I said from over my shoulder. "Nope," was all she said before coming over and helping me. "Thanks, this shirt is always tricky to tie up by oneself, it's like a corset." I made a face as she giggled and then I dove back into the mess that was my chest. I pulled out a pair of lace up kapris. Lavender groaned as I tugged them on. "More lacing," I told her with a grin. I pulled on a plain black robe. As I searched for appropriate footwear she flopped onto my un kept bed. "So, what do you think of Justin? Don't you think he's the cutest guy alive? Ah, I'd love to get my hands on him." I snorted. "Hey! Come on, don't you have an opinion of him?" "Um, he's cute?" She threw a pillow at my face. "You're pathetic Kaitou." I stole a glance at her. I couldn't tell if I had just been insulted or not but chose to shrug noncommittally.  
  
We practically flew down the stairs and to breakfast. We stopped at the door and walked in slowly and sat ourselves with the rest of our respective groups of friend's. "Where have you been?" Ron inquired as he shoved strawberry pancakes into his mouth. "Slow down Ron, you'll make yourself sick!" insisted Hermione. "I was trying to get myself out of bed." "What did you say?" a first year hollered from down the table. "I said I saw her! She's real!" Everyone at the Gryffindor table had by now turned to watch the captivating argument. Ron took this chance to try and purloin Hermione's pancake. She abruptly stuck her fork in it without even turning around. "Don't even think about it Ronald Weasley." Ron appeared disappointed so I shoveled all of mine onto his plate. "Enjoy." "Thanks!" he dug right in, oblivious to the argument. The argument between the first years was beginning to rise in volume. "I did see her, why don't you believe me?" "No way could you have seen a Shinma inside Hogwarts School!" "I did see her, I tell you! She had long white hair, and purple eyes! Normal people don't look like that!" "I saw her too." piped up a timid third year girl. "See, she is real! I told you so and you called me a liar!" "Sorry," muttered the kid, arms crossed across his chest and a pout on his lips. We all turned back and stared at each other in silence. "A Shinma, huh? I wonder who it could be?" Hermione thought out loud. "It would seem the silly first years are trying to garner importance for themselves. Rather foolish, really." I muttered pensively. "Would you be so kind as to pass the milk?" ~*~ "Nee-chan!" A blurry bolt launched itself at me. Groggily I hugged the small bundle of flesh. I opened my gritty eyes, Mikael was trying to desperately latch onto me all the while sobbing quite loudly. "Why are you here? Heck, how did you get here in the first place?" His tear streaked and florid face peered up into my grime covered one. "I came here to rescue you." he answered in-between sniffles. "That's very thoughtful of you, but how on earth did you get in?" I asked, curious and yet despairing at once. This could be a trap, one which my sadistic father would pull, and had been known to do in the past. "I, er, that is I." "Yes?" I pressed. "Killed the guards." he finished. I started at him in amazement. "All of them, all the ones guarding the dungeons and connecting corridors?" "Yes." I was stunned; we had over 30 guards to ensure that nothing happened to the Family, that family being anyone blood related on my father's side. We all lived in one grand and palatial home, and of course, Mikael lived there as well. It would be easy for him to go anywhere except here-the dungeons. "So you killed all the guards and then you just walked in here?" He nodded and continued to cry into my shirt. "H-how, did you kill them?" "My mum and da also have Shi blood, just like you! Isn't it wonderful? I get to be even more like nee-chan now!" 'Such a young age and he has already awakened his Shinma side? Amazing.' "We must flee before Uncle notices what has happened. He won't be pleased that you killed all the guards and he'll most likely beat me for trying to escape." I grabbed his hand and pulled him up from the floor and brushed the straw off his fine clothes, which were now permanently soiled. "Give me the keys." He handed them over and I pocketed them within my jump suit. I took off at an easy run as Mikael trotted beside me as we tried to eat up distance between us and freedom. We reached a checkpoint and with shaking hands I slid the key into the rusting slot and turned it with a flick of my wrist. On the other side I retrieved my wand and kept it in my right hand while the other still held Mikael's in an iron grip. I broke into a sprint as I dragged him struggling behind me. "Almost there, just a tad bit further, hang in there cos'." I gasped as I tried to suck air into my tired and abused lungs. I barely restrained myself from slamming into the door head on, but I quickly forced the key into the lock and turned. The door opened wide and hit the side of the entry way with a resounding bang. I swore under my breath and dragged Mikael out. "I can't run any more, I'm too tired." he whined. I hefted him onto my back and raced out of the room. We encountered no guards or family because a) they were either dead, b) at the Death Eater party or c) locked up because they had were insane or had extreme tendencies for paranoia. 'I'll be so glad to be rid of this place'. "And where do you think you're going?" asked a blond stranger who lounged against the back entrance to our estate, and the way out.  
  
I opened my eyes and was met with velvety darkness. The night air seemed to press down on me, as if trying to keep me intoxicated with the ephemeral joy of dreaming of my past. It was not exactly a tender, or even much liked memory. That particular memory was more real, so to speak, than the others. This one had held thoughts and valuable information, which I would no doubt find useful at some point in time. I went about and performed my nightly ritual of dragging on a heavy robe and supple leather boots so that I might go out for a walk. My feet took me to my favorite haunt; a secluded corridor lined with windows that adorned both walls. I lay down in a particularly battered and used window seat and leaned against the glass. The cool panes helped to clear my fuzzy head. I closed my eyes to rest them for suddenly it felt as if lead weights had been tethered to them and were dragging them ever down. I heard a tinkling laugh resound in my ears as I allowed myself to fall into the waiting arms of sleep.  
  
"There she is, there's the Shinma!" the girl exclaimed gleefully, pointing at a young woman. The two boys who had joined in the search for the Shinma peeped out from behind her thin frame. The girl approached the seated Shinma. "Are you Shirahime?" the girl said bluntly. The Shinma smiled at her lovingly. "Yes, yes I am Shirahime." she answered, humoring her. The girl laughed as if all this were a joke. "We were hoping that you would be the Shirahime of legend, then you could save us from He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named." "Oh?" "Yes, cause Shirahime is a demon." "Uh-huh, is that so?" The girl nodded emphatically. "Shinma are not demons." she corrected. "But you're still very powerful, right? You could easily kill someone, wizard or no?" "That is true." she answered, evading the subject. The boys eased forward and stood on either side of the Shinma. "May I sit and look out the window with you for a few minutes, please?" the girl asked, tears starting to well up in her sapphire eyes. "I miss my mummy." The Shinma gave a sigh of defeat and allowed the girl to climb into her lap. The girl made herself comfortable and they sat like that for a while. Then suddenly the girl clasped her in a tight hug. The Shinma was taken by surprise and in that moment the girl slipped a sliver knife from her belt and plunged it in-between the woman's ribs. She gasped as the realization dawned on her that she had been tricked. "Y-you, tricked me." she growled hoarsely. The girl leaned in close and whispered into her ear, "A threat to our Master can not be allowed to live." The Shinma's eyes widened as the knife was thrust into her side once more. She choked as the pain spread through her like a cancer. Suddenly she smiled and started to laugh despite the knife lodged in her side. The girl moved back, fear just beginning to claw at her mind. "Foolish girl. I have a message for your master, run and hide, run and hide, I'll be coming to complete my revenge soon." The girl and her bodyguards were backing away and were about to flee but the Shinma was too fast. She laughed heartily as she froze them where they stood, encasing them in solid ice, grotesque expressions chiseled onto their child-like faces. Children they were not. Their hearts and minds were poisoned by beliefs imposed on them by elders, they would forever be imperfect specimens of humanity. The Shinma spat on the floor in disgust. "Filth really." She clutched at the hilt of the knife and tried to get a firm grip on it despite the blood that made it nearly impossible. She froze the knife all the way to the tip and then pulled it out of her skin, which was now slick with scarlet blood. She then placed a stream of ice inside the wound and felt the arteries that had been pumping blood cease. The piercing cold was a touch of heaven; it drowned the pain in blessed coolness. Her wound incased in ice, she silently berated herself for letting her guard down. She swore never to do so again, for no one at all, no matter who they were.  
  
I groaned as I rolled over unto my stomach and sucked in a sharp breath as searing pain ate at my side. It felt like I had been beaten with a particularly nasty whip, and that it had penetrated deep within. I reached down and felt my fingers come in contact with a sticky substance. I put it to my lips and I tentatively took a lick. It tasted metallic which meant only one thing in my book, blood. I sat up and just as quickly sank back down into the sheets as the world turned and rotated around me. I groaned and rubbed at my eyes, trying to fight the dizziness and waves of nausea. "Why, why does this always happen to me? Why me?" "What are you going on about over there Kaitou?" a voice called from behind closed curtains. "Oh nothing new except how much I detest life in general." "You're right, nothing new. Go back to sleep, its 5 o'clock you git. Some of us need our beauty sleep, and you sure could use more than the rest of us." Lavender called out harshly. I resisted the urge to answer her with a scathing retort accompanied by a nice whack but I doubted my ability to do that at the moment. Later perhaps I thought, grinning maliciously. I pulled my shirt up to get a better look at this annoying new development. The wounds were deep and were bleeding freely as if whatever had been holding the blood back had decided to pack up and leave. I thought through this. I most likely was suffering from severe trauma and shock accompanied with a good deal of blood loss, possible infection and disease if the knife had been used before or was unclean. Also a good chance that I had internal bleeding, and a broken rib to boot. Ah, the glory of being a teenager! "I got this wound somehow and however I got it, it's probably not a good thing. I don't remember receiving it, which is even worse. But despite the consequences I need medical help and fast." I said to the air quietly. I heard movement in the bed adjacent to mine. I listened to Hermione's quickened breathing. I tried to will her into remaining asleep. I held my breath, waiting for her to stop moving. I realized this wasn't a good idea and let my breath out with a whoosh and fell back on the pillows, as once more the room looked like an abstract painting done by Van Gogh. When I sat back up Hermione had stopped making noise and was breathing softly. 'That was too close. I need to find a medical textbook and fast.' I slowly lifted myself up just enough so I could situate myself against the headboard of the bed. "Shiina! Shiina where are you, come to me!" I waited in the deep silence for a sign of those familiar ears. Slowly they appeared in my line of vision as they towered over the side of my bed. "Shiina!" I called out in joy. "Do you know what time it is?" she asked in a snappy tone. "Nope, and neither do I care. I need you to find me a medical textbook and fast." "Whatever for?" "I've been stabbed." "Oh." she said, all amusement and morning grumpyness gone. "Sit tight." With that she jumped off the bed and went scurrying off. "As if I could move." I waited and started to nod back to sleep despite the tearing pain when Shiina returned. She dragged it to the side of my bed. "Its too heavy for me, you'll have to cast a spell to levitate it." I groped for my wand on my bedside table. My fingers closed around its familiar form and I whispered the needed spell. "Wingardium leviosa." The book shot up and I grabbed at it desperately. I threw it down on the bed and quickly scanned the table of contents. I found the needed page and flipped to it. Listed was a combination of potions and spells that would help heal me. I realized that I would have to cast a few spells now and do the rest, like brewing needed potions later. "Lets just hope it doesn't become infected." I muttered darkly.  
  
I gazed closer; the person was no stranger, she was my cousin Annisel. Annisel was twenty-two, but had the air of a forty year old woman. She had long blonde hair, which she kept in a braid reaching to her knees and the trademark purple eyes of the Family who were past the age of eighteen. She was a seer, a very rare gift, which only occurred in the Family every thousand years. Her very presence commanded respect and as soon as I recognized her I stopped short. "Mikael, get down and go to your room." she instructed. "But why? I don't have to 'cause I'm running away with nee-chan!" "Go." she said, her voice left no room for argument. Mikael averted his eyes and slipped down. He trotted down the hallway and turned back and gave me a pained look. He turned the corner and was gone from view. "Now, what shall we do with you?" she muttered pensively. "I'm leaving Annisel, I can't bare to stay here any longer. You might enjoy fitting yourself to their clay model of you and living that way, with no free will. But I just can't do so. It's slowly unraveling my moral fiber just by being around them." "Don't be so melodramatic. Teens and their angst." she said, sighing to herself. I was tempted to inform her that she was a teen not too long ago. "You will stay here whether you like it or not. You are part of the Family, we can't have you running amuck somewhere." "Oh? So you suggest I stay here and let them dictate my life to me? I don't have your gift, or your excuse to stay away from it all." Her eyes darkened at the mention of her having excuses. " I know you use this 'seer' thing to hold it over their heads so they can't force you to do all the horrible things they do to me. But someday they'll realize your game, then where will you be? Oh, that's right, you'll be in my position! So no, you have no right to say that I have to stay any longer." "Don't be such a child. Even if I wasn't a seer, I would still honor the Family above all else." "I hardly believe that I should bow and scrape to The Dark Lord for some intangible thing you like to call family honor. This beast will destroy our family, you'll see. I'm doing the wise thing and escaping while I still have the chance. The Dark Lord will not be happy when he discovers that he has had wool placed over his eyes." "What makes you think its there in the first place?" she asked, becoming impatient. "I know its there. Time will dictate who lives through this, and I know for one that I will, despite what the family does." "So you're just saving your own hide. How do you think you'll survive out in the real world without the Family to take care of you? Do you know? I bet you haven't even thought through that far." she gazed down her nose at me and continued. "You'll have no money, no shelter, no food. Who will care for you? No one, that's who, if you run out on the Family. That is of course if the Dark Lord doesn't catch you first. You can't survive out there, just stay here; live and deal with things. You'd be far worse off on the streets than joining the Dark Lord." "I'll find a way, heck, anything has to be better than joining with him. Now get out of my way." "I won't let you ruin your life like this." she answered, blocking the doorway. "If you claim to be the seer you are, then you know that I'll get past you, and escape." She closed her eyes, as if I taxed her greatly. She opened them and fixed me with a menacing stare. "The future is undecided." With that she drew out her wand. Before I could cast even one spell she whispered her own. "Accio wand." My wand went shooting from my hand and landed deftly in hers. I growled in frustration. "Now what will you do? You have no wand to fight me with to get through the door, and you might not be able to get it back from me. If you don't get your wand and escape you'll become a common muggle, my dear." she informed me, smiling at her own wit. I charged at her, fists raised. She flung me across the room with a simple spell-she didn't even bat an eyelash. I tried thrice more before I sunk to the floor, on the edge of defeat. It was then, the first time I heard her. I heard a sinister laugh fill my ears, I scanned the room, no one was there. I realized with a start that the sound was only in my mind. 'Let me free.' purred the voice. I shivered at the predatory tone. 'Only I can set the real you free. I know you want the power, my power. Immeasurable power is in your hands, you just need to reach out and grab it.' She laughed some more. 'Come on, give it a go. With me you can do anything. This power, the power to force entire civilizations to bow down to you, its all in here, in you.' Her words washed over me, soothing me, infusing me with a massive belief. What she offered me was the world. Power that I never dreamed I could posses, all I had to do was eat the forbidden apple. But this forbidden fruit, at what price would savoring it cost me?  
  
A/N: Shirahime Syo is the property of CLAMP. Here is my blog a href="; which is like an online journal, so for anyone interested you can go there and read up on any updates I post there about SD. SD should hopefully be coming to a close in maybe the next two chapters, so look for some answers to questions to be revealed soon.  
  
Foreign Word Translations: Baka-idiot Kanshishaa-The Guardian Larva: The Guardian's protector Nee-chan-Means sister but can also be used as a familiar title for females who are not of blood relation. Shi-blood: Shinma blood in an offspring that has been diluted by human blood from one of the parents. 


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